Footprints In The Snow
by MoonStarDutchess
Summary: -Undergoing Rewrite-After Serena and Darien break up, she goes to Kyoto where a new life, new scouts, a new boyfriend, and a new destiny await her. SerenaSapphire Complete
1. Her Footprints

**Footprints in the Snow **

**Author: MoonStarDutchess**

**Chapter 1: Her Footprints**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon and gain no profit from this fiction. Any original characters, if any, are mine. Any similarities to people, living or dead, real or fictitious, are purely coincidental. **

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**Her Footprints**

It was a beautiful winter Saturday in Tokyo Japan. The snow was falling down in soft flakes adding more of the white frozen substance onto the already blanketed ground. The sun was shining through the clouds just enough to lie on the snow, causing it to sparkle like millions of small glass particles that looked like they could cut a person if they fell. Thankfully, if one fell in the snow they would only be greeted with a slight chill and perhaps laughter depending on the circumstances of the fall.

Serena Tsukino loved days like this: when everything smelled so fresh and looked so clean. She loved spending time among her current environment: Tokyo Central Park. She enjoyed watching as the couples walked by, holding hands and laughing as they carried their skates down to the frozen pond and soon were gliding across the ice like those ceramic couples that were ever present in the winter themed snow globes.

She looked to her right to see her boyfriend, as always, reading a book and paying no attention to the environment around him; paying no attention to her. She could see his eyes move slightly, going over each line, never looking up even when she sighed heavily. She leaned her cheek on her hand, her elbow propped upon the arm of the bench. She heaved another sigh, and directed her eyes toward him, still receiving no reaction from him. All he did was turn the page and lick his lips a bit, probably trying to relieve them from the cold chill.

To anyone passing by, it would look like they were just two strangers that decided to sit down on a bench. In all actuality, they were on a date. Yes, this was the typical date. They never went out to movies, or dinner or dancing; all they did was come to the park. It wasn't that Serena minded at all, she didn't need dates that required money; it was just that on a date they were supposed to converse more. They were supposed to have fun. She didn't think having fun was too much to ask of him.

She looked back at the lake and sighed again. All the couples there were so happy and having such a lovely time. Why couldn't she and Darien do that? Why couldn't they act in love like all the lovers skating? She wanted a boyfriend that she could laugh with, confide in, and just talk with. Seiya was always full of fun and he understood her. If she hadn't been so obsessed with Darien, she could have honestly fallen in love with him. Actually, she believed deep down, he possessed a part of her heart that Darien would never receive.

She wondered if Darien was a bit bitter over his time in America being ruined. She had to admit that if she were in his shoes, she would be upset. She hadn't wanted him to go but perhaps the separation was fates way of telling her that they needed to be such. That maybe their lives weren't meant to be twined together as they were in the past.

Unlike a few years ago, she wasn't that interested in him. He was kind and handsome. He was very hard not to like but easy not to love. That was the root of the matter, the reason for her feeling the way she was. She just didn't love him. She was empty when she was with him. When he kissed her, which was rare, there was no spark. To her, it was just a simplistic gesture like a handshake or salute.

The catalyst for these thoughts was when Rini left. She missed the little girl like crazy but not the way a mother would miss a child. Her heart didn't ache when she thought of her. When she walked up in the attic where Rini's old bedroom was, there was no tinge of sadness. Rini was like a friend that left, nothing more. Her sorrow when she disappeared during the final fight with Nehelenia was the sorrow she felt for any friend, any child that would disappear under such circumstances.

A few days after Rini went back to her time, her thoughts were so knotted that she'd gone to see Pluto. She hadn't known where to look and used the silver crystal to find the woman, something she wasn't aware she could do until she did it. She had practically begged the woman to answer her questions and promised that her question wouldn't endanger anything. Pluto finally relented and when she heard Serena's question, can the future of her world have more than one outcome; were there other pasts that could fit with the future Rini had come from?

When Serena asked that question, she tried to steel her voice but to no avail. It trembled and shook like there was a vibrating tuning fork in her larynx; her palms were soaked like there was a spring of sweat pouring from the skin.

She was relieved when Pluto placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled softly, her purple eyes staring into Serena's deep sky colored ones, and told her that she should follow whatever her heart tells her. Go with what she wants and don't give thought to a future that she shouldn't have known about in the first place. Then, she confirmed that there was indeed more than one outcome to any past; that the time Serena lived in didn't necessary lead to the future she saw.

However, instead of rushing to break it off with Darien after getting confirmation with Pluto, she decided to give it a bit longer. Just to see if things would improve without Rini tagging along on every date. After a few dates without Rini being there, she realized something that she hadn't before. She and Darien were not compatible at all. Usually, she would have rushed into a decision but she reckoned that as she grew older, she grew more reasonable, more patient. Now, as she sat there, in the park, beside him, she realized that both of them would be better off and happier if she ended it.

She took a deep breath and prayed that he would still want to be friends. She really treasured him as a human being and her life would have a part missing if he wasn't in it someway. She just didn't want him as a boyfriend, lover, or husband. However, their relationship would be in Darien's hands; their status would be completely up to him. She wouldn't pressure anything on him because both would suffer if she did so.

That was the toughest part of this. If he didn't want her in his life as friends then she would have to let him go and deal with him not being around at all. She deserved someone in which she could talk to and have common interests with; Darien needed the same. She wasn't a smart person, at least not education wise. She needed someone that could accept that and encourage her with what she could do. She needed someone that wouldn't say negative things and hurt her.

She knew Darien didn't say negative things to her with the goal of being mean, but they hurt her regardless. He called her a klutz and told her not to make a fool of herself when she wanted to try new things. He wasn't the only one though; the scouts were horribly guilty for doing it as well. This was especially true for Rei.

Serena knew she could do better; she just didn't try because she would always get negative comments if she faltered in the slightest. Hearing things like, "you will quit in a month" or "you'll just mess it up," took a toll after a while.

She stared down at her feet and thought about the path that her life took since she first became Sailor Moon. She'd known Darien before that; before she knew he was Tuxedo Mask. They were so incompatible, downright rude to each other whenever they crossed paths. Andrew chalked it up to flirting, but in all honesty, she hadn't cared for him romantically at all. She saw their relationship as a love/hate matter. She'd been fond of Tuxedo Mask but only because he was like the knight in shining armor; she didn't really know the man. The attraction toward him was the wanting of what was unattainable.

She began thinking of more than just her relations with Darien. In terms of the girls, the scouts, she didn't think they would have become friends had the scouts not come into play. She knew Ami and Lita before they were scouts and she might have developed a friendship with them. With Mina, there was no doubt that a friendship would have happened. Mina and she had too much in common not to have become friends.

She shook her head to wipe the thoughts of the girls out of present contemplation. She was a deep thinker contrary to popular belief, and these thoughts caused her to lose sleep and not eat. She'd lost five pounds in the last two weeks just from lack of appetite due to her distressful thinking.

She turned her head to look at Darien and smiled sadly.

Today, she would take the first step in taking control of her life, a step toward gaining her happiness. She would no longer let a trip to a possible future or past life dictate who she was now, or who she would become.

She turned her body toward Daren, who was still focused completely on his book. She read the title and felt like her IQ was leaking from her ears: a testament once again that they were too different. She wouldn't be reading a book on stem cell research for recreational reading. Heck, she wouldn't read it if it was assigned reading in school. She admired the fact he was interested in such things and wished absently that she could be.

"Darien," she said, her voice taking on a serious, deeper, and rather mature tone. She was surprised that her voice was very steady. When he didn't respond, she growled. "Darien," she said again, speaking a bit rougher and louder.

"Yes?" he replied, not looking up from his book. Serena bit the insider her mouth when anger sparked inside her. She made a fist with her hand, squeezing it so tightly that her skin turned red. She wanted to jerk that book out of his hands and throw it into the wet snow. She wanted to yell at him and tell him that she wanted to end it. Instead, she restrained herself and decided to proceed as calmly as she could.

"Will you put down the book and listen to me?" she questioned.

"Just a second. Let me finish this chapter first," he said.

Serena sighed. "Don't you think I'm more important than a book," she muttered. Then she squared her shoulders and rested her hand on top of his book. "Let's just end this," she said.

"Let's just end what?" he questioned, once again, not looking at her.

She moved her hand and rested it on her lap. She was actually surprised he heard her comment the first time.

"Let's end us. Our relationship. It's not going anywhere. If we end it now we can make a clean slate for both of our lives," she said, having little expectation that he would hear her and she would have to repeat herself.

Much to her surprise Darien loosened his grip on his book, it tumbling onto the ground. His eyes widened and he turned his gaze to her, looking at her as if she'd lost her head.

"What did you say?" he questioned. She could tell that he was trying to steel his voice and stay calm.

She had to hold back a cringe when she saw his expression. It was one of those expressions that she'd never thought she would see on his handsome face, especially not with her being the cause. Her stomach sank that she was making him go through this, but it was necessary not only for her happiness but for his as well.

"I think we should …I don't want to date you anymore," she stated, plastering a serious look on her face.

A small smile appeared on his face and he laughed. "Stop being goofy," he said, thinking she was joking. He went to put his arm round her but she moved away. When he realized she wasn't joking, he scooted away from her and stared at her, his eyebrows were furrowed and his mouth was opened slightly in an O. He was questioning her through his eyes, imploring an explanation without words.

She felt extremely weak as she looked away from him and down at the book he dropped, the pages slowly soaking up the snow and causing the dark typing to smear slightly. She took a deep breath and looked up to meet his gaze.

"Why Serena?" Darien questioned, his voice cracking. "Did I do something to you? Something wrong? I love you so much that if it is something I did please tell me. I can fix it; we can work it out."

She gazed at him with a sad smile. This man would make some girl incredibly happy and she was almost angry that the girl wouldn't be her. It was with this man that she had her first boyfriend, her first kiss, her first experience of love, and her first breakup. She would always treasure him for those happier things, for being there as she grew up. Some would say fourteen to seventeen years old wasn't that big a gap age wise, but it was. One learned so much, grew so much in those years and she was pleased that she had a wonderful person to help her along the journey.

"It's nothing you did so much as putting things realistically. We have nothing in common. You always have your nose in a book that I probably couldn't read a sentence out of. You are stable. I'm a free spirit. I never got any attention from you when Rini was here and I am still less interesting to you than that book."

"I never knew you felt that way," he said. "I'm sorry for that." He took her hand and kissed it. "If you want, we can talk more. It's just…I can't lose you Serena."

"You won't lose me," she said. "If you want to remain friends then I would be more than welcoming with that."

"It's not the same," he said, letting go of her hand. She returned it to her lap and sighed.

"No it isn't but it can't be. We can't be anymore. Not this way."

"Why? What happened to make you feel like this?"

"Darien, can you honestly say that you are happy with your life now? Are you truly happy with me as your girlfriend? You have so much ahead of you. I am just standing in the way of you becoming something so important. You can go to America, become a doctor and I know you will change the world. You need someone that understands that, someone that has goals for themselves on that level."

"You aren't standing in the way and I am happy," he replied with a snappish sort of tone. She could tell he was getting angry, as she expected. "Don't use that as an excuse and tell me the reason."

"That is the real reason. There's nothing more to it. You know deep inside that you aren't happy with me. It's better if we both let go and just move on. It took me a while to admit to myself that I wasn't happy. It took so much contemplating, so many tears but now I realize that we can't continue the way we are. We just have to let go."

"Have you met someone else? Seiya come back or something?" he questioned.

"I will admit that I did have deep feelings for Seiya but I was never unfaithful to you. I haven't met anyone else but I hope to someday. I hope you find someone you love more as a lover because you will realize with time that I am not the one you need."

Serena stood and crossed over to stand in front of Darien. Kneeling in the snow, she picked up his book, stood, and knocked the snow off it before closing it and handing it to him. She could feel him shake as he took it.

"Please trust that this is the best for both of us," she said. She looked into his eyes but didn't let go of the book. She had one more thing to tell him and knew that it may deepen the wound. She knew no one being broken up with liked to hear the words, but she truly meant them and they had to be said. "I hope someday we can be good friends. I don't want to lose you completely. I truly mean that."

She let go of the book and stared at him, wishing he would speak or yell something at her. Nothing came and she knew he was trying to process what was happening. Tears formed in her eyes, and began falling down her cheeks. She bent to kiss his forehead and when she pulled away, she whispered, "I truly hope you find someone that makes you happy and that is perfect for you. I'm sorry that I wasn't that person. I'm sorry for so many things but not for this because I know in my heart it's the best thing that can happen for us."

He pulled away from her and turned his gaze away as if she was a snake that struck at him. She took a deep breath, her voice shuttering. "I…I'm sorry Darien," she said turning and walking away from him. The wind whipped around her and she felt like the tears on her cheeks where freezing into icicles. A twinge of guilt hit her when she realized that the tears weren't only tears because she hurt him but because she was free now. It was over and she would be able to be happy for the first time in years.

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Darien sat there stunned at what transpired. He stared out in the distance, focusing on nothing in particular as he sat the book down beside him. She broke up with him. That girl that had always been so dedicated, so focused on their relationship and staying together, had been the one to end them. As much as he hated to admit it, his ego was so bruised that he wouldn't doubt that his skin was black and blue.

Was this the way she felt when he'd broken up with her for her safety back when the dark moon was here? Did she feel this pain in his heart that felt as if he was being run through with tiny knifes constantly? Did she feel like her world ended like he was feeling? God, it was hard and knowing that it was the real end made it worse. The fact that he loved her so much but she didn't reciprocate his feelings caused his old body to jerk inwardly, an effect to ward off his tears.

From the pitch of her voice and the way those tears leaked from her beautiful eyes, he could tell that it hurt her to break up with him. Somewhere deep down was a part of him that admired her for her conduct. She was so mature, so different from the goofball Serena that he thought she was. Perhaps, that was the real Serena. Perhaps all this time he was looking too externally for things that she really was. Perhaps it was a glimpse of what Serena was…without him.

He turned in the direction that she walked; the direction in which she left him. There was no sign of his blond haired love, except for her footprints in the snow.

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**Author code: RW 2009**


	2. Trouble Getting To The Temple

**Footprints in the Snow **

**Author: MoonStarDutchess**

**Chapter 2: Trouble Getting to the Temple **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon and gain no profit from this fiction. Any original characters, if any, are mine. Any similarities to people, living or dead, real or fictitious, are purely coincidental. **

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**Trouble Getting to the Temple**

Serena walked down the path in the park. She took out her handkerchief and wiped the tears from her face so that it might gain a bit of warmth without the water droplets residing there. She pulled the hood of her pink and white coat over her head and then put her handkerchief back in her pocket.

She walked out of the park gate and began her trek along the sidewalk, with each step she felt more free. For what felt like the first time in her life, felt like she could do anything she wanted without having a future looming over hear head, telling her she might as well forget any plans because it was already preplanned.

She didn't have anything in particular planned for herself so she wondered what Darien would do when he realized that he didn't have her holding him back. She knew he would be something amazing, that his life would be incredible. That he would find the perfect someone for himself and hopefully, the entire Crystal Tokyo matter would disappear from his head.

She paused and removed the hood as the sun shone brightly, the clouds no longer blocking the star. The rays beat down on her face warming it and she closed her eyes and smiled. Now, she had one more matter to deal with; telling the scouts. She tried to push their reactions out of her head as she told Darien. She didn't need those burdened thoughts on her at that time. Now, she had to prepare. They were her friends' right? They would understand right?

"Great, more worries," she said aloud and looked down at her watch. She smiled when she saw that it was thirty minutes till noon. The meeting was at ten after so she had plenty of time to get to the shrine on time for once. She slowed her pace a bit as she made her way to the temple. The clock tower in the city began chiming and she slowly counted along with the beautiful bell. Wait a minute…if the bell was chiming then it was at the top of an hour. She paused as she reached the number nine in her count.

"Ten…Eleven…" A bead of sweat appeared on the right side of her forehead. "Twelve." Everything around her seemed to grow silent. She slowly lifted her wrist up to eye level to look at her watch. Her eyes fell on the second hand that was stalled between the five and the three, indicating that her watch had stopped.

"Oh No! I'm going to be late! Darn it!" she screamed and took off running in the proper direction. In the back of her mind she wondered how she kept from sliding on the small patches of ice that were on the sidewalk. Perhaps fate was going to be kind to her for once and allow her to get there sans bodily injury.

She arrived at the neighborhood below the temple, which was on the hill above. She stopped to catch her breath and leaned against a wall, trying to take in deep breaths so that she wouldn't pass out.

"I know I am late now, so there's no used killing myself over it," Serena gasped out. She pushed away from the wall and faced the direction of the temple. "Okay, I am just going to take my time and deal with the fact I am late like always. If they say something then I'll tell them to deal with it."

Serena smiled widely but it quickly disappeared when she heard a growl behind her. No…not that dog again. That thing hated her.

Swallowing a lump that had formed in her throat, she slowly turned around. Sure enough, standing behind her was a huge Doberman Pincher. However, this wasn't just any Doberman Pincher; this was one that hated her guts and wanted to eat her.

"Nice doggy," she said gently, slowly backing way from the black and brown beast. She knew this would do no good but the words left her mouth before she could keep them from doing so. Why didn't they tie this beast up?

The dog's growl intensified and Serena slowly turned back toward the temple and then…took off running. She ran down the street as fast as she could, passing up the stairs that lead to the temple, the dog nipping at her heels like a tiger on the heels of an elk.

She screamed loudly, trying to get the attention of someone who could control the canine beast. Fortunately, luck seemed to be on her side. She luckily managed to turn the corner easily but since the sidewalks were slick the dog wasn't as lucky as she. It hit an ice patch, spun around and hit a metal light pole. Serena stopped when she heard the clang it made and turned to cringe the animal lost consciousness.

"Serves you right you stupid mutt," she said, having no pity for the animal that only saw her as a steak on legs. She walked past the dog and back towards the temple steps. "At least I didn't get any snow on me," she said happily.

Just as she said this, a huge snow blower went by, blowing snow on the sidewalk and on top of Serena. Anyone passing by wouldn't ever think that the huge pile of snow contained a blond-haired seventeen year old girl. A hand popped out of the pile and Serena pushed herself out of it.

"Today hasn't been my day!" she screamed aloud and kicked a pile of snow. She cringed when she heard a clang. The snow fell away from the item she kicked and revealed that it wasn't a pile of snow, but a snow covered fire hydrant. She muttered some obscenities that would have caused her mother to wash her mouth out with soap, then bleach, and slowly limped to the temple stairs.

She noticed that they were coated with ice, more so than the sidewalk. She grabbed the railing and slowly made her way up them, each time her feet sliding slightly. When she got to the top step there was no more railing. She slowly put her right foot on the step and slid it back and fourth to test its slide potential.

"Good, this seems safe," she said with confidence that she made it to the top and would indeed make it past this obstacle unscathed. She placed her right foot on the step and smiled. She then placed her other foot on it... in ice. Her feet went in different directions as she tried to keep her balance and failing.

"AH! OH! HEECH! OUCH! AH! OH! HEECH!" she yelled as she fell down each one of the steps.

She slowly sat up when she stopped, and growled. She looked down the steps and saw she only fell to the middle of the long line. "At least I didn't fall all the way," she said to herself. She turned in a crawling position and crawled her way up the steps. She made it to the top and didn't get on her feet until she was a few feet away from the stairs.

She walked toward Rei's room and sighed. "What else is going to happen to me today?"

As if fate were answering her question, she was suddenly knocked off her feet, landed on her butt, and found herself in motion. She looked behind her to see Chad, his long brown hair flying back like a sheepdog with his head stuck out of the window of a moving vehicle. They were on some sort of piece of plastic and moving at high speed, everything around them passing by in a blur.

"Hi Serena. What's up?" he managed to say as if they weren't in their current, odd predicament.

Serena started to respond to him until she noted that the look on his face suddenly warped from friendly to fearful. She turned her head and saw that they were heading toward the huge cherry tree that adorned the temple grounds. They looked at each other with terrified expressions then looked ahead once more.

They both screamed as they made contact with the trunk of the huge tree. They both groaned in pain and stayed lying down for a few minutes. Finally, they sat up, groaning in pain at every movement.

"That was horrible," Serena said.

Chad rubbed the back of his head and in his surfer boy voice said, "That could totally have been worse."

"How in the heck could that have been worse?" she asked, incredulously.

Instead of Chad answering, fate decided to barge in again as a huge chunk of snow fell from the limb of the tree. Soon, Serena and Chad were digging themselves out of a huge pile of snow. She looked at the boy across from her. "I am never going to ask that question again."

Finally, after many pitfalls, she made it to Rei's door. She felt like she'd been on a year long journey instead of the brief jaunt that going to the temple should have been. She knocked and then slid it open when she received a response. If any of them mentioned that she was late she wouldn't be responsible for going mad and tearing their hair out with her bare hands.

"Serena!" Ami said, shocked at the frowzled look of her friend. Rei had her back to the door and was tapping on the table, trying to contain her anger. Serena knew that when Rei turned around her voice speaking the word late would be like there was a big bulls-eye on her forehead.

"It's about time you…"she trailed off from her potential tirade when she turned to face the door. Her eyes widened in horror when she saw her friend's appearance.

She jumped to her feet and rushed over to Serena. "Are you alright? What happened?" Rei asked.

"You wouldn't believe it if I told you."

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**Author code: RW 2009**


	3. Telling The Scouts

**Footprints in the Snow **

**Author: MoonStarDutchess**

**Chapter 3: Telling the Scouts**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon and gain no profit from this fiction. Any original characters, if any, are mine. Any similarities to people, living or dead, real or fictitious, are purely coincidental. **

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**Telling the Scouts**

Serena sighed happily as she took her place at the table where the other scouts were sitting. She rubbed her arms making the warm tracksuit that Rei lent her rub against her skin, warming her. Lita poured her a cup of tea and handed it to her.

Serena smiled, thanked her, and took a large sip, the slight lemony taste hitting both the sweet and sour section of her tongue. The warm liquid descended her throat in what Serena would describe as an affectionate warm layer, dispensing the cool feeling inside her. It was as if every sip restored her body to its normal temperature.

"Lita, you make the best tea in the world," Serena said, seemingly gaining strength with every single sip. Maybe if she waited until she finished the tea then she would gain more courage that would help her to tell them what happened with Darien. Unfortunately, she would have to confront the matter before she finished off the liquid in her mug.

Serena, what happened that caused you to arrive here looking like that. It looked like someone literally dragged you all the way here. I mean I know you don't like meetings but…" Luna started, saying her last sentence with a humorous tone and trailing off.

"Very funny Luna," Serena said. She then giggled and rubbed the back of her head with the hand that wasn't holding the teacup. "I think the only explanation that would make sense with the fewest words would be that it is snowy and icy and the beast from hell got after me."

"OHHHHHH," they all said, instantly understanding what she meant by beast from hell. They all knew of Serena's relationship with the Doberman that roamed around the neighborhood; everyone there except Rei had the same relationship with the canine.

"I just don't understand why that dog doesn't like us. We never did anything to provoke the animal," Mina said. "He's like a huge puppy toward Rei and Darien."

"Speaking of Darien, isn't he supposed to be here?" Rei asked, "Amara, Michelle, and Trista already said they couldn't make it but Darien never said anything. Did you see him today Serena?"

Serena tensed up; she found it quite silly that such a simple question could bring out so many conflicting emotions to the forefront of her mind. She played with the top of her half-full, (Or is it half-empty?) cup. She moved a drop of liquid, a result of the steam, around the top rim until it disappeared from its position by rolling down the side of its container.

"Serena? Are you alright?" Mina asked. "You look stressed out."

"I don't think Darien will be coming to a meeting again. At least, not for a long while. We probably shouldn't be looking for him to help us as often as he used to either," she said, not lifting her eyes from their place staring at the cup that her hand was surrounding.

"Why? Did something happen to him?" Lita asked. "Is he sick?"

Serena heaved a huge sigh, emptying herself of air before taking an intake of breath. She bit her lip and adjusted her sitting position. She knew that they were staring at her with their quizzical looks that she'd grown to be so familiar with. When they stared at her, it always felt like they were shooting a bit of their planet powers toward her ostentatiously.

She finally summoned the courage to meet their gazes. Her palms sweated and knew it had little to do with the fact they were gripping a warm mug and more to do with her nerves. She bit her lip tighter and thought she felt that irony taste that blood possessed. The girls' eyes widened as Serena released her teeth from her lips, lifted her hand, and ran her thumb across them. She lifted it to her gaze to see a small red streak on her finger.

She reached to the middle of the table to take a napkin to wipe her lip.

"Serena, what's going on?" Ami asked, the concern in her voice evident.

Serena folded the napkin and took a huge sip of her now lukewarm tea. "I need to tell you all what happened but I really don't know how. I never thought of how to say this to you guys because I didn't think they'd ever be a need to do so. I don't know how you are going to react. It's not going to be something you'd consider positive even though to me, it is exactly that."

The occupants of the room were quite surprised with how Serena spoke. It didn't seem like her. Usually when she told them things it was in a rowdy manner like she'd eaten too much sweets and was trying to get rid of all of the sugar that had taken over her blood and turned it to the consistency of syrup.

Mina scooted closer to her out of concern and rested her hand on Serena's hand. She squeezed it and the napkin that it was resting on.

"Go ahead Serena. Whatever it is, I am sure we can deal with it."

Serena smiled at her friend that looked more like her sister. It was absolutely amazing that they weren't blood related. Mina was one of the few people in the world that respected and understood her fully.

"I broke up with Darien," Serena said in a softer tone than she intended. She just couldn't seem to raise her voice to the volume that she wanted. It wasn't that she was ashamed that she did so since it was for the best. She reasoned for a moment that her body didn't allow her to speak at normal volume because of the sensitivity of the subject matter. The future would be changed and Serena wasn't entirely sure the scouts would be happy with that.

Serena gazed at each of the girls, every one of them wearing stunned looks. Suddenly, they burst out laughing. Serena nearly fell over upon seeing their reactions. How could they laugh at a time like this? It was then that Rei spoke among her fit of giggles, indicating that they weren't taking her revelation seriously.

"Serena, stop joking around."

"Oh my god, I can't breathe," Lita said while laughing and resting her head on her arms that were resting on the pine table.

"You guys, I am being serious. I really did break it off! Stop laughing!" she said, in an oddly regal and stern tone. Her voice was loud and confident, something incredibly different from her normal self. Her pitch seemed to carry across the room and paralyzed the group into silence. They all stared at her like she'd committed a forbidden act against all of her own morals.

Silence took over the environment and Serena shifted in her seating position yet again. She felt awkwardness drift into the room like waves of thick fog drifted in during the early mornings in the city. Awkward waves were covering everything, coating it with thick tension that Serena wasn't sure could be broken. She rushed ways to cut through it in organized patterns of thought in her head but came up with nothing. She would have to wait and see if one of the girls would cut through it.

Finally, after a full minute of terseness, Rei spoke. The fire of her words burning up the… Awkfog. Yes, that would be a good term for it, Awkfog. Her mind always made up those tiny words that brought some sort of relief and description for things she couldn't describe with existing words and phrases.

"Serena, did you really break up with him? I… I find that incredibly hard to believe."

"Please, don't make me confirm what I've sternly told you already," Serena replied, trying to keep her voice pitch perfectly level. She lifted her tea to her lips and took a drink, cringing when the cool bitterness drifted down into her body.

"I can't believe it," Mina said. "I thought you two were so happy."

"You used to be crazy about him. What changed?" Ami said, her manic shock recovering much quicker than the others.

"I wasn't happy and I don't believe he was either. I can't help but believe that the excitement with him was that same excitement that every girl gets when it comes to a first boyfriend. Then when we discovered our pasts, it was as if that cemented everything together like bricks. We were meant to be together then, so the plaster just stuck. I felt I had to stick to it so I eluded myself into believing I was in love. The future tacked on more mortar and reinforcements in the form of Rini and I was just so trapped. The fact that I could have fallen for Seiya so easily, cracked the wall a bit. He chipped at my heart and made me question what I felt for Darien. It was so hard and broke my heart to break his."

"Are you in love with Seiya?" Lita asked.

"Part of me fell for him at that time. Now however, there's no romantic love in me toward Seiya. Just like there's nothing romantic there for Darien. I love them both but I am in love with neither. This isn't about Seiya though: this is about Darien. The more I thought about us, the more I realized how different and ultimately incompatible we are. I deserve to be with someone more like me, someone that shares more common interests with me. He deserves the same thing."

The girls were stunned over Serena's words and mannerisms. They could tell this was something that she'd spent time thinking over. Despite their worries about the future, they each decided individually that they would support her decision.

"Wow meatball head! I'm impressed that you took the time to think things through," Rei said, trying to add a slight bit of teasing to break up the tension everyone was feeling. She failed but didn't acknowledge that failure.

"I do that sometimes," Serena muttered so low that no one could hear her.

"So how did he take it?" Ami questioned, genuinely intrigued by the new side of Serena that she was seeing and about the events that were taking place.

"He was upset. Much more upset than I thought he'd be but that's just because I believe he needs to come to the realization that I came to. He doesn't love me the way he thinks he does. With time, he'll see that. His actions already display his disinterest."

"Are you out of your mind? You know perfectly well Darien is crazy over you!" Rei protested.

"Actually, I don't. If he was really so crazy about me then he wouldn't read a book almost every time we get together. We have nothing to talk about unless Rini does something funny or aggravating, or if we have an enemy we have to defeat. We are nothing like a couple is supposed to be. We are just friends that seem to go through the motions as boyfriend and girlfriend."

"Does being friends seem like a possibility?" Mina asked.

"I doubt he wants to be friends with me right now but I hope he will someday. I don't think I could bear it if he hated me," Serena replied.

Mina and Lita hugged their friend.

"I'm sure he doesn't hate you at all," Mina said.

"Yeah, Mina's right," Lita said.

Rei and Ami walked over to the three girls and gathered Serena in a huge hug. "We are all here for you," Rei said.

"We will support whatever decisions you make because we are your friends," Ami stated.

Serena smiled as tears began leaking from her eyes. She was truly touched by their reactions to the situation. It was nothing like she expected and she was happy to realize that they weren't just friends with her because she was Sailor Moon or Princess Serenity, but because she was simple Serena.

"Thank you all so much," Serena said.

--

After determining that there were no new threats to be concerned about and nothing bad was going on other than the normal crimes of society, the meeting concluded and the scouts made their way back to their homes.

Serena felt odd as she made her way up the street on which her house resided. She had a butterfly feeling in her stomach and it seemed she was getting oddly excited for reasons she yet knew. Since she'd become Sailor Moon she'd slowly develop some sense of the future. Her body seemed to warn her when something was about to happen in the very near future.

She walked through the gate and stopped on the path that led to the door of her house. Any other time her house wouldn't look so big, but the closer she stepped to it the more her sense of anticipation seemed to grow, causing the house to feel like a giant looming skyscraper that extended into the evening sky.

Serena made her way up to the door and touched it: the normally cool metal feeling oddly hot to the touch. No, warm to the touch. That doorknob, as she turned it, gave her almost a happy, affectionate feeling.

She entered the house and after shutting the door behind her, announced that she was home as per customary in the household. She slipped off her shoes and slipped on her pink slippers with the small white bunny sewed onto them. They felt warmer than normal as well, encasing her feet in a fleece hug.

"Serena, could you please come in here a minute," she heard her mother yell. Serena took off her coat and hung it up before making her way through the hallway and into the cozy peach living room. Her dad and mom were sitting on the light blue couches and a small fire was lit in the fireplace, casting the room in the warm glow that mirrored the way Serena felt inside at that moment.

Serena's parents looked at her with serious looks on their face; the kind of looks they had when they were about to punish her or tell her something dramatic. While she hoped for the latter, something inside her mind was whispering to her; building up anticipation that something was going to happen to change her direction in life.

---

"Please sit down Serena," her father said, his tenor voice filling the room, blocking out the crackling of wood on the small fire. Serena walked over to the couch beside them and took a seat, folding her right foot over her left, and her legs crossing at their calves. She rested her hands in her lap, right over left, a gesture she inherited via her mother's genetics, and then she began twiddling her thumbs, a gesture she inherited from her father.

"I'm not in trouble am I? Because seriously, if I am I can honestly say that I don't know what I've done," she started, instantly defending herself against a potential grounding worthy mistake.

"No, you aren't in trouble," her father said, his words vibrating due to a slight chuckle of amusement. "We want to ask you for a favor. It's a big responsibility so if you don't feel up to it you don't have to do it."

"We don't want to pressure you in anyway," her mother added.

Serena stared at her parents and curiosity took over every fiber of her being. They never asked her for favors so her earlier warning about something different looming on the horizon of her future, was justified. Since they were staying quite, she figured that they wanted some sort of response from her even though she would have preferred that they would have just gotten to the point.

"What is it?" Serena questioned simply.

"Your mother and I were wondering if you'd like to go stay with your grandmother in Kyoto for a while," her father spoke.

"What? Really? Kyoto? Why do you want me to do that? Is grandmother alright?" she questioned, her heartbeat increasing out of both worry and excitement that she could possibly start a new life in a place where she adored visiting every spring.

"You see, she is getting older and we know that it is hard for her to take care of all the things she needs too. It's hard for her to run that entire apartment building alone. We'd like you to go help her Serena. Of all the people in the world, your grandmother respects you the most."

"I never could understand why," Serena said honestly.

Her father smiled. "I think it's because you two are so much alike," he said.

"What about school?" she questioned then realized exactly what she spoke when her parents looked at her with wide eyes and open mouths. "God I must be sick. I never thought a question like that would ever pass my lips."

She began laughing and, a moment later, her parents joined in.

"Well, Serena," her mother said, "you can go to school in Kyoto of course. There's an excellent high school right in the area."

Serena leaned back in her chair. If she went to Kyoto, she would be leaving behind her friends and everything she'd known her entire life. It was almost mind boggling to think that a simple yes or no answer could possibly change the course of her life. Then there were the scouts to consider, she would be leaving them to take care of everything here if an enemy appeared. Could she really do that to them?

She laughed inwardly. It wasn't as if she was much help anyway and there wasn't any sign of any enemies. In addition, she could always come back home after she graduated in a year: if she wanted to come back. She'd already made a drastic change in her life by breaking it off with Darien, why not make a new one while she was on a roll. Perhaps the move would help her gain more insight as to who she really was.

"All right, I'll go," she said.

Her parent's once again displayed looks of shock on their faces.

"What's the matter?" she questioned, noticing the looks. "You did want me to go didn't you?"

"Well…um…yes, but we didn't expect such an abrupt decision. We thought you would toil with the idea a bit first," her mother said.

"Then turn it down flat," her father added, earning an elbow from his wife.

"Nope, I think it would be fun and a good growing up experience for me," Serena replied as she smiled at her parents.

"Um…okay then," her dad said. "When do you want to leave?"

"Tomorrow too soon?" she questioned. The fact she needed to tell the scouts where she was going was the last thing on her mind as excitement at the new circumstances filled her brain.

"No, not if you can get packed tonight," he said.

Serena jumped up and smiled even wider. "I can do that!" She started to rush out of the room when her mother's voice stopped her at the door.

"Wait Serena, there's something else we want to talk to you about," she said. Serena turned and looked at her mother quizzically. "Please sit down."

She walked over and sat down in her previous spot on the couch.

"Yeah mom?"

"Well, your father and I have noticed that you haven't been eating much at all or sleeping the way you normally do. We are worried about you."

"You know that you can tell us anything right?" Her father said.

"Yeah, I know. I'm fine now. You remember Darien?"

"Yeah…" her father muttered, making his displeasure over the boy evident as if Serena didn't already know about his feelings.

"We broke up," she said simply.

"What! That jerk broke up with my daughter and that's the reason you haven't been eating! I'll kill him," her father exclaimed, standing and marching toward the door, his face red and, if Serena hadn't known better she would swear she saw smoke coming from his ears. He was like a bottle rocket ready to explode.

She began laughing when her mother grabbed his waist to keep him from moving any further. They both turned to her and looked at her oddly. She held up her hand to indicate for them to wait a moment while she calmed herself.

"I broke up with him," she said calmly. In an instant, her parents rushed to her side: her mother checking for a fever and her father checking her pulse with one hand and watching his watch.

"Are you alright? Are you sick?" her father questioned. Serena would swear that he had some sort of bipolar mental illness that hit specifically whenever her dating life came into play.

"You were crazy about that boy," her mother said.

"Things change. People grow up and grow apart. I've put a lot of thought into it before I did it, so that's the reason for the lack of appetite and sleep. I'm sure now it will return to normal soon."

She stood up and walked over to the door. "I should get packing," she said and then laughed as her stomach growled. "After I get some food."

She left the room and headed to the kitchen.

Serena's father turned to his wife when he heard her sniffle and saw her wipe a tear away with her white apron.

"Kenji, it seems like it was only yesterday when she was in a little cute pink bundle. Now our baby is leaving!"

Kenji took his wife's hand and prepared himself to cure her empty nest syndrome. That is, if he could control his own.

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**Author code: RW 2009**


	4. New Life

**Footprints in the Snow **

**Author: MoonStarDutchess**

**Chapter 4: New Life **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon and gain no profit from this fiction. Any original characters, if any, are mine. Any similarities to people, living or dead, real or fictitious, are purely coincidental.**

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**New Life **

Serena stood at the terminal that would lead to the train that would take her to Kyoto and to a new adventure in her life. She could barely believe that she had the courage to make such a drastic change and to, in a sense, step out into the world on her own.

Her father was retrieving her rail pass and her mother and brother were at the shop, they insisted they grab her a few candy bars for the three-hour trip. She wished she could have taken the faster train, but sadly, they arrived a bit too late. She realized then that her gift for being late for everything was definitely inherited from her father.

She sat down on a bench but then stood again when she spotted the train pulling into the station. She saw her father walk towards her.

"Here you are," he said, handing her the train pass that she'd need to get to Kyoto without any hassle.

"Thanks daddy," she said, taking it from him.

"Where's your mother and Sami?" he questioned when he notice that they weren't there.

"There they are," she said, motioning her head toward their approaching figures. They stopped and in front of her and her mother gave her nearly a dozen candy bars.

"Momma, why'd you get so many?" she questioned, "If I were to eat all of these the train wouldn't be able to even move." She laughed at the mental image of a train struggling to move.

"I didn't know what kind you liked. Sami insisted that you liked the coconut ones but I always thought it was the caramel."

Before Serena could speak, a voice over the intercom announced that the train was boarding. She hugged her father and mother but before she could hug her brother, he grabbed her around the waist and hugged her tightly, stunning Serena at the show of affection. He was usually a complete brat towards her.

"I'll miss you," he said.

She hugged her brother back tightly. She loved him so much and would miss him like crazy (even though they nearly killed each other a few times).

"I'll miss you too."

They pulled away and Sami gave her a mischievous smirk. "Don't klutz up and make grandma bankrupt meatball head," he said, trying to hold back tears.

"Don't put mom and dad in an insane asylum you useless little spore," she retorted. She turned and slid her card through the gate, then walked through to the train. She sat down next to a window and stared out at her family waving at her. She raised her hand back in goodbye and they began walking off as the platform was cleared.

As their forms faded, butterflies began symbolically hatching in her stomach. She felt really anxious for the train to get going, everything felt so surreal and would probably be even more so when she was actually in Kyoto.

Maybe she would grow into the mature person she wanted to become. It would be sad to graduate high school without her friends in Tokyo, but she would deal with that. She would study hard, make decent marks, she didn't think extraordinary marks were possible for her, and live a fairly normal life. Well, as normal as she could anyway. She would be content and that was still asking for too much.

--

Serena was relieved when she finally disembarked from the train and set foot in Kyoto. She didn't leave the train even during the many stops made before she arrived. She knew that she'd probably end up missing the train and having to wait a few hours for another one to arrive.

She saw a huge crowd gathered on the platform, no doubt waiting for their loved ones to get off the train as well. She sighed, not wanting to make her way through the huge crowd and find a taxi to take her to her grandmother's apartment building. Luckily, she wouldn't have to.

She laughed when she heard a familiar voice with a thick Kyoto accent. "Get out of my way you giants. Can't you all see that my granddaughter is here?"

Serena smiled when she spotted a short old woman in a pair of jeans and t-shirt, pushing past some men. Her father always groaned at his mother's choice of dress and hobbies but Serena loved her free spirit. The woman wasn't as dry as so many of her friend's grandmothers. She was the coolest person Serena ever knew.

"Serena! Over here!"

Serena made her way over to her grandmother. With her height being five foot five, she had to look down at her four foot ten grandmother.

"When in the hell did you become a tree?" she questioned, referring to Serena's height.

Serena laughed and hugged her. Her grandmother said that every time she saw her. "I grew," she said.

"Yes, I swear, what are they feeding you in Tokyo?"

"Um…food?" she joked, earning a loud laugh from her grandmother.

"Good to know," she said, grabbing her bags. "Let's get you to my place."

They retrieved Serena's other bags from the baggage clerk and made their way out to her grandmother's car. After loading them in the trunk, they got into the car and made their way to their grandmother's apartment building.

Serena was thrilled as they drove and she took in the sights around her. Regardless of how many times she'd seen this place, it never ceased to amaze her. Kyoto was the center of historical, cultural, and spiritual activity in the nation. It was her favorite place, and that was saying something considering all the places she'd been.

She took in the old buildings that had been there since before WWII. Kyoto was spared from the ally attacks during that time so it was one of the few places in Japan where one could feel the old heritage, and let themselves drift off to a place in the past.

Before she realized it, they'd arrived at the huge apartment complex that her grandmother owned and ran; one of many that was situated around Kyoto. It started out as a simple boarding house decorated in typical classic Japanese fashion. Then it later expanded into more and more apartments, and became more modern.

She pulled into the parking garage under the building and pulled into a reserved parking spot. They got out of the automobile, took out Serena's bags, and entered the elevator. Her grandmother pushed the button to the fifth floor and they began their ascent.

"I thought you lived on the third floor," Serena said, confused as to why they were going two floors higher.

"Tell me Serena, how old are you?" her grandmother questioned and turned to gaze at her.

"Seventeen," she answered.

"And when will you be eighteen?" she questioned.

"This June," Serena replied.

"Exactly! Don't you think a girl that is going to be eighteen very soon deserves to have her own apartment? This is my birthday present to you," she said with a small smile.

"What! Are you kidding?" Serena said in absolute shock. "Really? My own place?"

Her grandmother chuckled at her enthusiasm and nodded.

"Thank you!" Serena exclaimed and hugged her tightly.

"You are welcome my Little Bitt," the woman said, causing Serena to chuckled over the old pet name.

They arrived on the fifth floor and Serena followed her grandmother to the apartment at the end of the hall: apartment 512. Her grandmother unlocked the door and they went inside.

Her eyes widened at the cute apartment that seemed to fit her personality perfectly. The living room was painted light pink and all the furniture was dark brown and contrasted with the pink beautifully. She was thankful there was no white because it was killer to keep clean. There was a sliding door with a round window above it. Draped over the doors were cocoa colored curtains. She looked down to see black carpet on the floor, another thing Serena was extremely grateful for since she was accident prone to spilling things.

Serena could see the black and white kitchen from the living room: there was an opening in the kitchen wall that had shutters on each side. If one wanted to conceal the kitchen from people in the living room, those shutters could be closed and effectively block prying eyes.

"The bedroom is through here," her grandmother said. Serena followed her down a tiny all and into a larger room.

The bedroom was blue and gold with a bay window and a moderately large closet, especially for an apartment in Japan. The bed was a black brass bed with blue bedding. On the bed were several pillows including a few bunny shaped ones that Serena recognized as being ones she had as a child. The window had gold curtains that were currently pinned back with small blue ropes.

The extravagance of the apartment didn't really surprise Serena considering the way her grandmother was. Since her great grandparents made so many investments their family was very wealthy and, much to her father's chagrin, her grandmother always spoiled them rotten. Her father never used much of the money he inherited; he wanted to take care of his family himself. The only thing he ever really splurged on was completely paying for the house and the car that they had. She couldn't blame him. There was something special about taking care of oneself and the people one loved. It was a responsibility she didn't understand until she became Sailor Moon.

"I'll leave you to get unpacked and get some rest. There's some money in a box on the kitchen counter that should last you a few weeks. The grocery store is right down the road. I didn't know what you wanted so I figured it would be better to let you go buy the things you'll need."

"Thank you grandmother," she said. "Do you need help with anything? That is why I am here after all right?"

"Not really," her grandmother stated flatly. "Your father assumed that I wanted you to come here to help me. Actually, that wasn't the case. You see Serena, for some reason I've always been able to tell when my family needs something. My heart was telling me you needed to make a new start."

Serena gasped and sat down on the bed behind her roughly. "Yeah…I did. How did you know that?"

Her grandmother went over and sat beside her, resting a hand on top of Serena's. "What happened?"

"I broke up with my boyfriend. It didn't feel right for us to stay together so I wanted to start things anew. Find some sort of place for myself. A place where I could be happy."

"Then I guess my intuition was a good thing," her grandmother said.

"Yes, it was," Serena agreed.

"Tell you what, we shall just let your father stay ignorant on the matter and let him believe what he wants to believe. Now, you should get some rest and then get some shopping done or you could do your shopping first. Whichever you prefer. We will register you at the local high school tomorrow. Do you need me to go shopping with you or do you think you can handle it?"

"No, I think I can do just fine," Serena said. "Like you said, the store is just down the road, not very far at all."

"Oh, that reminds me. You can drive can't you?" The woman questioned as she stood up and reached in her pocket.

Serena nodded slowly and was surprised when her grandmother gave her a set of keys. "That was your grandfather's car. I had it fixed up for you. I hope you like it."

Serena looked down at the keys in her hand and smiled at the memory of her grandfather. "Thank you," she said, looking back up at her grandmother.

"It's the little blue one," her grandmother stated.

"Yeah, I remember," she said.

The old woman gazed at her granddaughter with a small smile then leaned in to kiss her forehead. "We'll get to school at 8am the day after tomorrow instead of tomorrow morning. You need more time to settle. Goodnight Little Bitt," she said.

"Goodnight Grandmother," Serena replied and watched as she left the room. A moment later, Serena heard the door to her apartment shut.

Her apartment. That sounded so wonderful. It was a step of freedom, as if she'd been released from a confinement that she barely acknowledged the existence of. One minute she thought she would have to follow everyone else and things that were dictated for her, the next she was free. She never thought that a word would have so much meaning to her.

She laughed and fell back on her back, looking up at the ceiling above her. Free…

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**AN: If you've never lived on your own, you tend not to understand what it's like to have that freedom. It's something that people tend to misunderstand when they are content in their surroundings. There's nothing like it, especially if your current living situation is horrible.**

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**Author code: RW 2009**


	5. Gone!

**Footprints In The Snow**

**Author: MoonStarDutchess**

**Chapter 5: Gone**

**Rating:T**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. **

**AN: Hope you enjoy this. Please review.  
**

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**Gone!**

**Tokyo, Japan**

Serena's brother Sami was walking home when he heard his name called. He turned around to see Ami and Lita running toward him. They stop and Lita asked,

"Sami, is Serena sick? She's not been in school or to the temple."

"Wow, you mean she didn't tell you? I figured that she would have at least called you or something."

"Tell us what?" Ami asked.

"She went to Kyoto to stay with our grandmother for the rest of the year maybe even longer than that. She wants to finish up her high school there I think.

"What!" Ami and Lita yelled.

"We have to tell Rei and Mina," Ami said.

"Look, I've got to get home," Sami replied.

"Oh, sorry we stopped you, see you later Sami," Lita said.

It turned out that everyone else had the same reaction as Lita and Ami.

----------------

"THAT MEATBALL HEAD DID WHAT!" Rei yelled standing up from her seat. Everyone in the arcade looked at her. Rei quickly sat down, a blush rose on her cheeks. She was mortified over the outburst.

"Sami said that Serena moved to Kyoto to help her grandmother," Ami repeated.

"You know the real reason don't you?" Mina asked in a whisper. The other girls shook their heads. She leaned into the middle of the table as the other scouts lean Mina noticed someone coming in the arcade." The reason is coming through the door," she whispered softly.

The girls looked at the door and saw that Darien had walked through it. They all nodded at each other. Darien was their friend and he looked like he needed cheering up.

Darien walked up to the counter where Andrew is working and he orders some food. Andrew brought him his food.

"Hey Darien, did you hear about Serena?"

Darien looked up at him. He didn't really need to hear about her. Andrew knew nothing about their relationship or the breakup. Out of curiosity he said in a depressed tone,

"No, what about her?"

"She moved to Kyoto," Andrew replied.

Darien was surprised to say the least. He expected the news was that she had a new boyfriend, not that she moved away. His Serena had the guts to move away from her parents?

"How do you know that?" he couldn't help but ask. It had to be a rumor.

"Her brother told me. I asked why she hadn't been in the arcade in a while. He said that she had moved to Kyoto to help her grandmother with her apartment building."

"Oh," he said. It was true. If Andrew got it straight from her brother it had to be.

Andrew noticed some other customers come in.

"Hey Darien, I got to get back to work. I'll talk to you later."

"All right," Darien replied only half hearing what he said. His thoughts were on the blond girl that he'd dated for so long.

The girls walk over to Darien and take seats beside him. Rei laid a hand on his back.

"Hey Darien, what's up?" Rei asked.

"Is it true about Serena leaving Tokyo?" he asked. They would know.

"Yes, it is. Ami and I asked her brother where she was," Lita replied.

"I see," he replied. There was a second confirmation.

"Darien, Serena feels really bad about hurting you. She just had your best interest at heart. She thought about both of you. Not just herself." Mina said. "It was a hard decision for her to make."

He looked at the blond girl that looked so much like Serena and smiled slightly.

"I know that," he replied simply.

"You mean you're not angry at Serena?" Lita asked.

"No, I could never stay angry at Serena. I hurt like hell over both the break-up and the fact she didn't tell me that she was leaving."

"She didn't tell us either. I bet it was a spur of the moment thing," Ami commented.

"Darien, does that mean that you want to be Serena's friend when she gets back from Kyoto?"

"Yes, I do. Serena is too special to me. She wasn't only special because she was my girlfriend. She has a kind heart that I couldn't live without some part of it in my life. Romantically or friendship, I need her there one way or the other."

"That's great! Serena wanted to be friends with you as well! It hurt her so much to think that you'd hate her forever, " Mina said and hugged him. The other girls proceeded to glomp him. Darien's body went down as a result of the pile up and his face went right into his food.

"Gef off of meef," he said, his voice muffled by the food. The girls scrambled off of him.

"Andrew, please get Darien another order," Lita said.

Andrew could only nod as Darien wiped the food off of his face.

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	6. Who? What? Huh?

**Footprints In The Snow**

**Author: MoonStarDutchess**

**Chapter 6: Why? How? Huh?**

**Rating:T**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. **

**AN: Hope you enjoy this. Please review. J**

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**Why? How? Huh?**

Three months passed in a blur for Serena. Her school was great, her life was great, and she felt as if things were falling into place. She felt so free and happy. She was smiling as she walked to her grandmothers apartment. Her grandmother had called her and told her that she wanted her to meet someone. She soon arrived and went inside of the apartment.

"Grandma!" Serena yelled and walked into the living room. She was floored at seeing the young man sitting on her grandmothers couch. She didn't know what to say. It couldn't be the person she thought it was! He was de…dea… She spoke the first thing that popped in her head.

"How in the heck?"

"You're grandma's in the kitchen, and it's good to see you again too," the young man said

"But how did you? Why are you? Huh? " Serena stuttered in amazement not able to finish her questions.

"You are articulate," he said with a grin. Serena blushed a bit.

Her grandmother saved her from further embarrassment when she came in from the kitchen with a pot of tea and three teacups.

"I see that the two of you have met," she said with a smile.

"Yes, we met in Tokyo, it was under more strenuous circumstances," the man said.

"Oh, you met in Tokyo? Imagine that, I meant just now you met. Oh well, I hope these circumstances won't be strenuous," her grandmother said sitting down, then pouring the tea.

"I'm sure they won't," Serena said with uneasiness. What was he doing there? Was he up to no good?"

"Serena child, sit down and have some tea," her grandmother scolded.

"Oh, right," Serena said and sat across from the young man.

Her grandmother handed the man a cup of tea and then handed her granddaughter a cup.

"Isn't my granddaughter a gorgeous young woman."

"Grandma!" Serena yelled and blushed head to toe. She didn't expect the young man to answer and was shocked when he did.

"I think that she's really beautiful," he replied.

That comment caused her to blush an even deeper red.

"Do the two of you want to make me blush!" she said with a stern look.

Her grandmother and the young man just laugh. Her grandmother sat down her cup of tea and then said.

"Isn't it a coincidence that the two of you had met before. How long ago was it?"

"About three years," the young man replied.

"That long huh? That's very interesting," the grandmother said. The rest of the time was spent with Serena's grandmother making small talk and Sapphire answering her questions.

They have the tea and Serena and the young man have to leave. As they are going out the door her grandmother said, "You two get reacquainted now."

"Grandmother!" Serena scolded going out the door in a huff.

"Goodbye Ma'am" the young man said. He went out the door as well.

Serena is waiting out in the hall. He turned to her.

"It's good to see you again Sailor Moon," he said.

Serena grinned a bit then turned serious.

"You too Sapphire."

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	7. Sapphire

**Footprints in the Snow **

**Author: MoonStarDutchess**

**Chapter 7: Sapphire**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon and gain no profit from this fiction. Any original characters, if any, are mine. Any similarities to people, living or dead, real or fictitious, are purely coincidental. **

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**Sapphire**

Serena and Sapphire stared at each other for a while, unsure what they should be saying past a greeting. Were they merely supposed to meet and then just walk away, or was their meeting something more dictated by fate.

"Okay," she said, "this is awkward."

"Yeah," he said, folding his arms and leaning against the wall.

"Well, we shouldn't talk here. Let's go back to my apartment first," she said. "Then we can talk freely."

A slight grin appeared on his face as he stared at the blond girl before him. "Who said we needed to talk?" he replied, obviously teasing her to get her to fluster a bit more than she already was. He found it quite amusing how the red tint would not only spread across her cheeks but also on her nose.

"We don't really," she replied, honestly. "But I assume you are here for a reason right? I mean you were dead."

"Yes, I was dead but that doesn't mean I needed to talk to you. Your grandmother was just playing matchmaker. Maybe I just miraculously came back to life by nothing other than sheer will?"

"Sheer will? Dead people don't have a will! It's freaking miraculous and I only know once source of miraculous actions. How in the hell else could it have happened?"

"Potty mouth," he said, followed by a chuckle.

Serena sighed and pouted slightly, frustrated that he wasn't making this situation any easier. "You aren't the Sapphire that I remember," she said.

"Well actually, you didn't really know me that well. We only met briefly before I became human barbeque courtesy of Wiseman."

"Don't use terms like that!" she scolded. "That was horrible and you are being very difficult."

He laughed loudly, causing chills to run over Serena's body. His laugh was so beautiful and full of amusement. Full of a lust for life that she'd been lacking for so long until she moved here. "Alright, we can go talk."

"Great," she said, taking his hand without thinking much about it and pulling him to the elevator. Sapphire was amazed at how small and elegant her hands were, and how his heart beat a little more rapidly as she grasped it tightly.

They got into the elevator and Sapphire found himself slightly morning the loss when she let go of his hand. She pressed the up button and they rode to her apartment in oddly comfortable silence. The doors opened accompanied by a sound of a bell and they both got off the lift and made their way to her place.

A few minutes later, both were situated in her living room and drinking cold soda.

"So, what do you want to know?" he questioned her, preparing himself for a barrage of questions that were sure to come.

"How did you come back to life? Does Prisma know? How did you get here?" she asked in quick succession.

"Please, one question at a time," he said.

"Sorry," she said, sheepishly. She was just very curious as to why he was where he was. She was happy that he was alive of course; his death had been on her conscience for so long. She was happy that it was now relieved of one death.

"What was your first question?" he asked.

"Does Prisma know about you being alive?" she asked.

"I thought there was a question before that," he teased. He knew that her Prisma question was the second one but he also honestly didn't remember the first.

"I reorganized them," she replied. "Because there's something you should know if you haven't gone to see her." Serena was hesitant to tell him what happened with her but she knew if the positions were reversed, she'd want to know.

"You mean about her getting married?" he asked.

"Yeah," Serena said, slightly relieved that he already knew.

"Prisma was the first person I went to see. I was cautious because I wasn't sure what her relationship status was and I didn't want to create any trouble for her. I overheard her say that the man she was with was her husband so I just left without even letting her know I was there. "

"I'm sorry," she said, when she realized how that must have felt. Seeing someone you still love with someone else must have been hell.

He shook his head and smiled. "I'm just glad she's happy. She really deserves it after all the things she's gone through."

"He's a good guy," Serena said, having met him a few times.

"I'm sure he is. If he isn't Prisma will deal with him and make him a good guy," he replied. "You next question?"

"How did you get here and how are you back from the dead?"

"I believe that was two questions," he said, continuing his teasing.

"I combined and twisted the order of those."

"But you had three questions that I said I would answer. That would mean that there should be one more after this one."

"You are making this difficult deliberately aren't you?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him. She had to admit, she liked his teasing. It made things a bit more entertaining.

"Yes," he said. "Now to answer your combined questions. The answer is the same, your mother."

"My mother?" she questioned. "Okay, no offense, I am happy you are alive and all. But why you?"

"You know, I asked you mother the same question. She just smiled at me and said her daughter would need help. I don't know why she chose me or even why you need help. You do have Tuxedo Mask, right?"

"I broke up with him," she said.

"Didn't know you were dating him," Sapphire said. "Besides, what's breaking up got to do with anything. That gives him no reason not to protect you. It's basically a duty."

"Well, I think he would continue to do it of course, but he's in Tokyo and I moved here to give him space in addition to other reasons."

"Then that's probably why she sent me here."

"Do you know what you are supposed to help me with?"

"All she said was that we needed to find the remaining scouts and that I was to help you with that task."

"Remaining Scouts? I mean, I knew there were other scouts out there in the solar system but there are some on Earth?"

"Yes," he replied. "They should be here in Kyoto. They are Sailors Star, Sun, Comet, and Meteor."

"I see, so how do we start looking?"

"Here," he said. Sapphire reached into his jacket, pulled out a necklace, and handed it to her. She stared down at it in awe. It was the most beautiful piece of jewelry she ever saw. The chain was a beautiful silver color that sparkled so much that it looked like a line of diamonds. The star hanging from it was silver as well and on each corner was a different colored stone. In the middle of the star was a diamond crescent moon.

"It's amazing," she said, and looked up at him. "Did she tell you anything else? Like why we needed the other scouts?"

"No, she didn't. Obviously, I didn't question her further since she was the one that brought me back to life. I'm forever in debt to the moon kingdom for granting my life back and will serve it until the day I die…again."

"Don't talk like that. You don't have to be in debt to anyone."

"To me, it is a welcome debt that I am proud to take on," he said, reminding her of the brave soldiers she saw in movies, the ones willing to die for their country.

"You are being silly but I won't argue for now," she replied. She refused to have anyone in her debt. Things were difficult enough as it is, she didn't need that difficulty tacked on to her life or, if he died or got hurt, her conscience. "So, when do we start looking for the scouts then?"

"Whenever you choose to begin the search," he said.

"Tomorrow okay with you?" she said.

"Its fine," he replied and stood from his seat. "I will be going. If you need anything at all, my apartment is right down the hall. It's apartment 506."

She offered him a bright smile and escorted him to the door. "I'll remember that and thank you."

He nodded and left the apartment. "Sapphire," she called, causing him to turn around.

"Yeah?"

"I'm very glad you are alive," she said, completely sincere with her words.

He smiled. "Yeah, me too."

She closed the door after her comment and locked it. After throwing away the two empty soda bottles, she grabbed some clothing and went to take a shower. She then got dressed and lay down on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. Eventually, she found herself talking aloud to her mother, not her Earth mother of course, but to Queen Serenity.

"Queen Serenity, why did you send Sapphire here? Why him in particular? I know I shouldn't question your reasons but I've been questioning so many things lately. What do you know that I don't? Is he going to play a large role in my life? Please mother, if he is, don't let him die. I don't think my mind could take another person dying because of me, the scouts, or because of an enemy we have. Please protect him or give me the strength to protect both him and the new scouts."

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**RW:2009**


	8. Search From One Spot

**Footprints in the Snow**

**Author: MoonStarDutchess**

**Chapter 8: Search from One Spot **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon and gain no profit from this fanfiction, but I do own my plot. **

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**Search from One Spot**

Serena slowly opened her eyes and groaned as the bright light of the new day hit her blue orbs. Slowly sitting up, she cringed and moved her hand to her lower back when it popped. She turned her head toward the clock, sighed, stood, and slowly trudged into the bathroom to take a hot shower, hoping it would relieve the ache in her spine thanks to her weird sleeping position. She had to be in the best condition possible since she knew it was going to be a rather long day.

---

She was finishing her breakfast when her doorbell rang. Popping the last bite of toast into her mouth, she ignored the dishes on the table and made her way over to her door to answer it. She opened it and smiled at Sapphire.

"Ready to go?" he questioned.

"What? No good morning?"

"Is there such a thing?"

Serena thought for a moment and giggled. "No, I don't suppose there is."

Sapphire chuckled upon hearing her giggle; the light noise seemed to float joy to him in evanescent waves.

"I'm ready to go, let me grab my purse," she said walking back into the apartment. A moment later, she returned to the door. After locking it behind her, she and Sapphire made their way out of the building and into the parking garage.

She stopped and looked at him quizzically. "How are we supposed to find these girls?" she questioned. "Kyoto is a big place with lots of people."

"With your crystal…maybe…"

Serena removed the crystal from her purse and stared down at the jewel that was glistening even in the dull light of the gray stone parking garage. "What should I do?"

"I have no idea," Sapphire said.

Serena looked at him and puffed out her cheeks for a moment, displaying her frustration and causing him to laugh. "That's not much help. And stop laughing! This is serious."

Sapphire covered his mouth with this fist and coughed, trying to hide the last tincture of chuckles that emerged. She didn't realize it was the face she made and not the situation that caused his laughter. "At least offer a suggestion."

"Okay… a suggestion."

"Yes, that would be good," she said, with a rough nod of her head.

He folded his arms and stared at the crystal in her hands. "How about if you just hold it tightly and concentrate on what you want to do? Perhaps use it like you would for anything else."

Serena nodded. "It's worth a try," she said.

Grasping the crystal in both hands, feeling the smoothness of the round stone against her soft skin, she closed her eyes and concentrated. She mentally asked the crystal for help, repeated the purpose of her calling upon the celestial powers for help. The round stone began emitting a soft blue light, the same color of the sky on a beautiful spring day. The light flashed once and he took a step back as a crescent moon appeared on Serena's forehead. The golden symbol flashed and then slowly began turning the same blue as the energy, starting at the two points of the crescent and descending like waterfalls of vitality.

Sapphire rushed forward when the light suddenly faded and Serena moved to topple frontward. He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into his embrace, her head falling on his shoulder and her body making no gesture of life other than the small puffs of breath that escaped from her peach lips.

He was about to pick her up and carry her to her apartment when she moved her head slightly. She groaned and lifted it, then moved her hands to rest on his shoulders for a moment, before letting go and moving to step away from him. She wobbled on her feet and he grabbed her waist to steady her, as she grabbed his shoulders once again. She opened her eyes, and he was taken aback at the change in them. Before, they were a deep blue, like the ocean. Now, the irises were same color as the blue luminance emitted by the crystal.

Her lips remained positioned straightly, her eyes burned into his, and silence dominated the moment between them. He'd never been this close to a woman other than Prisma. Even with he was with her, there was never an invisible force of emotional electricity that drifted around them. He didn't understand, it scared him but he was too intrigued to care if it damaged him, too obsessed in craving the knowledge about what he was feeling.

"I don't know what's going on." She spoke in a clear voice, no fear being conveyed in the lilting tones of her speech.

"Did you," Sapphire swallowed his nervousness at what was happening. "Did you see anything?"

"Yes," she said.

"What?"

"A young girl, blue hair, she had wide eyes that made her stand out among everyone else in her location. She was in a park surrounded by a lot of children and seemed to be looking for something. It was very loud. The sound of buses, and booming music covered anything people were saying. Eventually, I was able to speak to her for a moment and told her to come here."

"You spoke to her?"

Serena nodded slightly, her face growing pale as she performed the small gesture. A chill ran up Sapphire's spine the more he listened to Serena's description. It was as if her spirit had left her body and actually went to the place in question.

Suddenly, her body went slack again, but she didn't lose consciousness. "I'm scared," her voice trembled. Sapphire didn't know what to say to her since he was terrified at what she had done. He picked her up into his arms.

"So am I. Serena, I think you did an etheric projection."

"A what?" she questioned.

"Etheric projection. It's where the consciousness, astral body and the etheric body separate together from your physical body. Your ectoplasm of the etheric body was probably showing to that girl. I didn't think that it had the capability to communicate but apparently it does."

"Um… what?"

"Never mind. It could just be the power of the crystal that caused you to project to the girl."

"Either way, it's too dangerous to do that again. For just a moment, your body was in a trancelike state. It could have possibly killed you, a rare chance, but it could have."

"Don't worry. I won't if I can help it. I feel like everything was drained out of me. If you hadn't caught me I don't know what would have happened."

"You would have kissed a concrete floor," he said, causing Serena to chuckle lightly.

"You sure I'm not too heavy for you. You could put me down. I think I can walk."

"You are fine. I'll put you down when we get to your door," he said, as the chime of the elevator bell sounded and the doors opened. He carried her to the threshold and sat her on her feet. She took out her key, unlocked the door, and took a step inside, faltering as her foot touched the floor.

Sapphire grabbed her arm and helped her over to the couch. "Do these projections usually leave people so weak?"

"No, they don't. My guess is that the crystal forced it upon you and you couldn't take it," he said and moved to close her apartment door.

"As usual," she said.

Sapphire furrowed his eyebrows and tilted his head to the right fractionally, "Meaning?"

"I never can take anything," she said, grabbing the couch cushion and squeezing it tightly. "I'm always so weak."

He walked over and sat down beside her. "What you did would take a lot of energy out of anyone Serena. Don't beat yourself up over it."

Serena bit her bottom lip. "I…I suppose you are right."

Sapphire wasn't convinced that Serena was listening to him but there was little he could do about that fact. He wasn't much of a people person, choosing instead to be alone most of his life.

When the doorbell rang, he stood and mustered the best smile he could at Serena. "I'll get the door," he said.

"It will be her," Serena replied, putting the pillow down beside her and loosening her body from its tenseness as best as she was able given her tumultuous thoughts.

Sapphire walked over to the door, opened it and took a step back as if the girl was contagious with some sort of disease.

"I think you were expecting me…I hope."

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	9. Jasmine

**Footprints in the Snow **

**Author: MoonStarDutchess**

**Chapter 9: A Scout Named Jasmine **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon and gain no monetary profit from this fiction, but I do own my plot so don't take. (Don't know why you would though.)**

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**A Scout Named Jasmine**

"Yeah, you are in the right place," Sapphire said, partially recovering from his shock. He moved out of the way so that the girl could enter, her short blue hair bouncing oddly against the side of her face like it was some sort of rubber. He shut the door behind her and laughed lightly. "Sorry about the odd looks. It's just I was surprised that Serena described you so well.

The young woman directed her dark blue gaze over to the other occupant in the room who was sitting on the couch smiling. "I have to admit. It was quite a shock seeing you appear like that. Oddly, no one else could see you." The girl rubbed the back of her head and closed her eyes. Her mouth quirking upward. "I think they thought I was insane talking to air."

She opened her eyes and then walked toward Serena, "Name's Jasmine by the way."

Serena stared at the girl for a moment. She stood and shook her hand, very happy to meet the young woman. "I'm so glad it worked. It's nice to meet you."

Jasmine returned the smile. "Until I found you two, I wasn't at all convinced about this sailor scout stuff despite being able to change into a sailor. Now that all of this is happened the doubts have left me, and I know what I have to do."

"Please sit down," Serena said, motioning to the couch with her head. Jasmine nodded and took a seat as Serena sat beside her.

Sapphire walked over and sat in the chair situated across from the two women. Though they didn't look anything alike, he felt a similar aura resonating from them. It was an aura filled with harmony and sweetness with a bit of naiveté "I have a question for you Jasmine."

The girl directed her gaze from Serena to Sapphire, her face the typical quizzical expression. "Sure, what is it?"

"How did you originally gain your scout powers?"

"Um…well, it's weird."

"I'm sure I won't think so," he said.

"Well, I was visiting a museum… and was bit by a radioactive spider," she said, her face void of any sign of foolery. Her lips were straight with no sign of an impending quirk. There were no dimples, no light of amusement in her eyes.

Sapphire and Serena's faces fell into looks of shock; wide mouth, eyes wide, and slight perspiration on their forehead indicative of such feelings.

"It really," Serena moved in closer to Jasmine, "happened that way?"

Suddenly, Jasmine burst out into laughter and shook her head. "Of course not, but I couldn't resist saying that!"

Serena and Sapphire nearly fell over.

"Jasmine, please be serious," Sapphire said, heaving a huge sigh and leaning back in his chair. He turned his gaze to Serena when he heard her giggle.

"What?" she said when she noticed he was looking at her. "It was amusing now that I think about it."

"Seriously though," Jasmine started, her laughter ceased. "A year ago, I started having visions of things. At first, I thought they were dreams, but they were so vivid. In my visions I could, taste, smell, hear and touch. It was horrifying to me and I didn't think I was normal anymore. Then Queen Serenity came to me in one of those visions, then I really thought it was a dream because I'd never felt so much peace. She told me I was a Sailor Scout. Then I realized I really wasn't normal when I woke up and found," she reached up to lifted out a star shaped locket, "this around my neck." Jasmine smiled widely. "I like being a scout because it means I'm not weird, just different."

Serena smiled. "I'm so used to it now that I've never thought of it as weird or different. I'm just me."

Jasmine nodded. "I hope I'll feel that way someday too."

"So, you see visions," Sapphire said.

"Yep!"

"I know someone who can do that and she's a scout too."

"You are talking about Sailor Mars right?" Jasmine said.

Serena directed her gaze back to her. "Yes, do you know her?"

The young woman shook her head. "No, I don't know her. I honestly don't even know how I knew that. It just popped in my head and came out of my mouth before I could think about it. I also know she can conjure her visions up with some fire. I can't call upon mine. I need more practice with my powers."

"Then it looks like we have some training to do," Sapphire said.

Serena and Jasmine groaned, the noise having the exact same pitch and tone of frustration within it. It amused Sapphire greatly though he didn't show it outwardly. If they didn't look completely different from each other, he would have sworn they were sisters. He held back a chuckle that threatened to burst forth.

"Don't give me those groans you two. If you want to get stronger then you have to train. I'm not even as strong as I know I could be. I wasn't even when I was with the Negamoon."

"Ah, Queen Serenity mentioned you. She said she was bringing you back from the dead. Honestly, I was expecting you to look like a zombie."

Sapphire raised an eyebrow at her and then narrowed his eyes when Serena burst out into uncontrollable fits of laughter, falling back on the couch and holding her stomach.

"It's not that funny!" Sapphire protested, never quite feeling as foolish as he was that moment. It was foreign, but altogether a rather pleasant feeling. "Serena, be serious."

Serena sat up straight and coughed to try to stop her giggles, however they could be heard lacing through the cough. When she finally stopped, she met Sapphire's blue gaze with her own. "I guess I should be more mature, buckle down, and hone my powers to their maximum. I am tired of having such a difficult time. I guess the ends justifies the means right?"

"But why does the means have to be so hard," Jasmine said, her bottom lip jutting outward.

Serena took a deep breath, then exhaled, her posture going limp. "I have no idea."

Sapphire shook his head and shifted down in his chair as he stared at the two girls, not telling them that he didn't want to train either.

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	10. Radio Rebel

**Footprints in the Snow **

**Author: MoonStarDutchess**

**Chapter 10: Radio Rebel**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon and gain no profit from this fanfiction other than writing practice. I do own my plot though so no swiping. **

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**Radio Rebel**

After three months of constant hunting, training, and hard work Serena, Sapphire, and Jasmine had made no progress whatsoever in the hunt for the new scouts. Jasmine was having no visions, Sapphire could come up with no clues, and they against Sapphire's better judgment, let Serena see if she could find them using the crystal. Out of engulfing frustration, the three decided to take a break for a few days reasoning that maybe the hunt was going so poorly because they were trying much too hard. If they relaxed for a while, their focus would be better concentrated when they began looking again. It was a long shot but it was really their only option.

--

"I wonder where Jasmine is," Serena said, looking around the arcade for the young perky girl, "It's weird that she's not here yet."

Sapphire looked up from his food. "You know, I was thinking the same thing. It's usually much louder," he laughed, "she grows on you doesn't she?"

Serena smiled and nodded. "Yes, she does."

"You know, if you two looked alike I would say you were related," he said.

Serena took a sip of her shake and tilted her head. "Really? How so?"

"You two have very similar personalities," he replied.

Serena smiled and laughed bitterly. "I hope not. She doesn't need to be like me," she muttered.

Sapphire narrowed his eyes at her and was about to respond with something positive when the active 14 year old topic of their conversation came barreling into the arcade. She hit the freshly polished floor and slid past their table a bit before catching herself and running to stand in front of it. Her chest rose and fell with her rapid breathing and there was a very red flush of her excitement on her face. She showed her teeth in an extremely expansive grin and slammed a flyer on the table.

"We absolutely have to enter this!" Serena looked up from the ramen that she was eating.

"Enter what?" she said with her mouth slightly full.

"This radio contest," she said pointing to the paper. She picked it up and shoved it into Serena's line of sight.

Serena calmly sat down her bowl of noodles and took the yellow flyer from her hand. Her gaze took in the bold wording and the clip art of the radio microphone before she handed it to Sapphire. He read it and then turned his gaze toward Jasmine while handing the paper back to her.

"Why do we need to enter this?" Sapphire questioned.

"Because if you win then you get your own radio show!" she said as if that was the only good reason in the world and as if it made so much sense.

"Why would we want our own radio show?" Sapphire asked then took a bite of his egg roll.

"Don't you want to have any fun?" she replied in a pout.

As Jasmine talked to Sapphire, Serena was watching as she was eating. At fourteen, she would have been excited about such a prospect as well. It amazed her what three short years could do to a person's lust for life and fun. Now she could really care less about having her own radio show. She just wanted control of her life. Now that she had that, she could truly be happy.

Serena finished her ramen and looked at Sapphire, who had just finished his food as well, then back at Jasmine. "Let's go then," she said.

"Really?" Jasmine questioned with stars in her dark blue eyes.

"Why?" Sapphire asked. He didn't see the point in trying for something you really don't want or need.

"Why not . . . go to the station?" Serena questioned back with a conspiratorial tone.

"Please!" Jasmine begged, obviously not catching the tone of voice that her friend used.

He looked at Serena who was smiling and then at the hopeful Jasmine. At his nod, she grabbed their arms and jerked them up. They quickly grabbed their milkshakes before they were dragged through the door.

---

They made their way to the radio station and paused when they came to a large crowd of people. In front of the station building, there was a small stage with large yellow banners looming over it decorated in the same manner as the flyers. There was a tall man in a brown dress shirt and jeans standing on stage, the microphone tightly in his grasp. He looked rather feeble so Serena was very surprised when a booming voice came out of him, reminding her of one of those western businessmen she saw on television.

"Hey all you potential disc jockeys! Welcome to YPR109's DJ contest! Today we will be looking for the next great radio personality!" The crowd displayed their excitement with screeches and yells, causing Serena to cringe. She gazed around to see that the majority of the people there were middle school kids. "To tell you more about this amazing contest, here's YPR's own star DJ herself…Miko!"

Serena didn't think the crowd could get any louder than they were but with the announcement of the name, she realized she was wrong. She directed her gaze to the steps on the left of the stage to see that a young woman a bit older than her. Her cut orange hair stood out among the flashy decorations around her, she was very tall with a muscular frame but still very feminine. Her low-rider jeans were daringly low and her white tank top didn't quite meet to the bottom of them, leaving a teasing look at her stomach for any man staring. When she turned toward the audience, her orange eyes dragged Serena in; they were like a stained glass that one couldn't stop looking at. She couldn't tell if the blue M at the bottom of her right eye was a tattoo or paint, but either way, it suited her greatly.

"Hey! How are you guys doing!" she said, with a loud enthusiastic voice, as if the event was the most exciting thing ever occurring anywhere. Serena supposed that it was in her job description to act that way. She started to listen in when Jasmine groaned and grabbed her head.

Sapphire and Serena rushed to each side of her. "What is it?" Sapphire asked.

"It's just that, I feel like I'm getting a vision but I can't see anything. It didn't happen until Miko started speaking. It was like her voice took control of my mind but nothing at all came."

Serena looked back at Miko and stared at the woman with intense concentration, studying everything about her as if she was a schoolbook. She suddenly felt something hot against her chest and lifted out her transforming locket to see that the symbol for sun had appeared. As soon as the glow happened, the pain in Jasmine's head stopped. She stared at Serena's locket, then at Miko.

"She's Sailor Sun!" Jasmine exclaimed in excitement.

"Yea, imagine that, finding her here," Sapphire said. "When we decide to take a break we find a scout.

"Yea, and we wouldn't have found her if I hadn't convinced the two of you to come with me," Jasmine gloated, apparently fully recovered from the slight pain that was occurring in her head just moments prior.

"She's right," Serena said with a sigh, as she directed her vision back to Miko.

"So, you think that she knows?" Sapphire asked, following her gaze.

"Yes, she does," Jasmine said.

"How do you know that?" Sapphire asked.

Jasmine smiled brightly at him, her gaze piercing his. "I just know. I know that sounds stupid but that's the only thing I can really say about it."

"Then we've got to go tell her who we are as soon as possible," Sapphire said.

"Yea, but how are we going to tell her?" Serena questioned, "We just can't go up to her and start chatting."

"We are in the contest. I'm sure that we will get to meet her face to face," Jasmine said.

"We can't tell her in front of people," Sapphire countered. "We will have to talk with her when she's alone."

"Alright, we'll find a way to do that," Serena said.

"Then we should start planning things out," Sapphire said. "Let's get back home and get things started." Serena nodded and she and Sapphire started to walk away.

"What about the contest?" Jasmine yelled.

Serena turned to her and gave her a huge smile. "Oh yeah, good luck with that," Serena said, crossing her fingers and holding them up so the young girl could see them.

"We all are supposed to enter!" Jasmine said.

Serena looked at Sapphire innocently. "Sapphire, did you once hear from my mouth that I was going to enter?"

"No, did you hear me?"

Serena shook her head.

"But guys!" she protested.

"Have fun! Look at this like it is a mission to find out her alone time. Don't let us down!" They both walked away with small smiles on their face.

"Damn you both to hell!" Jasmine yelled. She made a fist tightly, her knuckles turning white due to all the pressure. The crowd around her took a few steps back, feeling the evil aura that the girl was generating. "I'll get even."

That night, Serena and Sapphire were sitting in Serena's apartment waiting for Jasmine to arrive. They knew that would be the first place she head regardless of the contest results. Serena was reading the most recent issue of Shojo Beat while Sapphire was reading a newspaper. They were startled slightly when Jasmine came through the door wildly without as much as a knock. Her hair was poked out in different directions, her eyes were narrowed, and like in the arcade restaurant, her breathing was rapid.

"How did it go?" Sapphire questioned, looking up from his reading.

"I lost!" Jasmine said with a growl.

"Oh," he said looking back down at the paper, he then said "so did you get any info on when she is alone?"

Jasmine huffed, "Yeah, but I don't think I'm going to give it to you. You two are so insensitive! What you did was mean!" she said, as tears streamed down her face.

Serena laughed and said, "I wonder if we are really some relation like Sapphire mused."

Jasmine's tears stopped and she looked over at the older girl. "Huh?"

"Not even half a year ago I would have wanted to go do that radio thing and I would have had the same reaction to Sapphire as you just did. Maybe I am finally growing up."

"Hey! I'm grown up too!" Jasmine yelled. "I want an apology!"

"Okay, Jasmine, I'm sorry," Serena said, "Will you please tell us?"

Jasmine crossed her arms. "Even though that obviously wasn't sincere, I'll do it for the sake of the scouts. She walks home every night at 8 pm."

"Oh, I see. What time is it now?" he questioned, not looking up from his paper.

Jasmine looked at the clock and her mouth quirked up into a mischievous grin. "Oh, it's seven fifty," she stated as if the time wasn't important at all.

Serena and Sapphire dropped their reading materials and stared at each other, eyes widened.

"What!" they yelled, shot up from their seats, and rushed out the door.

Jasmine laughed and calmly followed the two older people. She got part of her revenge on them. If they'd bothered to look at the clock themselves they would have seen that it was only 7pm.

* * *


	11. Sailor Sun and Comet

**Footprints in the Snow **

**Author: MoonStarDutchess**

**Chapter 11: Sailor Sun and Comet **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon and gain no profit from writing this fanfiction. **

**

* * *

  
**

**Sailor Sun and Comet**

Serena growled and glared at jasmine. I thought you said she got off at eight," Serena said and then heaved a huge sigh. They had been waiting for almost an hour and there was no sign of Miko. They were waiting on the ledge of the roof of a nearby building where they had a clear view of the doors of the radio station from all sides.

"That's what I overheard her say to some guy," Jasmine said and smiled inwardly. It served them right to wait this hour after doing what they did to her regarding the contest.

Serena sighed again and turned her gaze to Sapphire who was staring at the building. If he had any complaints about the wait, he decided not to verbally express them. She let her eyes trail over his body, taking in his appearance. He was wearing the outfit that he wore when he was with the Negamoon, the only difference being the accessories that now accompanied it. The dark blue cape draped over his shoulders, created a more regal look with the outfit. He wore a white mask over his blue eyes. On his right side, secured by several thick belts were a katana and a wakizashi.

"There she is," Sapphire said, breaking Serena from her observance. She looked in the direction he extended his hand and spotted Miko leaving the studio. They watched as she made her way through an alley. "Come on, we need to catch her."

They leaped across the rooftops until they made arrived in front of the alley. They froze when Miko leaped into a defensive stance, holding an item in her hand that the three on the roof couldn't recognize.

"Whoever you are," her voice said sternly, no hint of fear displaying in her tone, "come out and I won't hurt you."

Serena, Jasmine, and Sapphire jumped down from their perch on the roof and landed in front of her in crouched positions before rising to their feet.

Miko instantly relaxed when she saw who they were. "You are Sailor Moon, correct?"  
"Yes, that's right. And you are Sailor Sun."

She nodded and her lips formed a smile. "I'm very happy to see you. Your mother told me that you would be seeking me out. I just didn't think it would be this soon and certainly not at night."

"For a dead woman my mother sure is busy," Serena said with a giggle.

Miko kneeled in front of Serena with her head bowed, causing her to take a step back in shock. "Your highness. It is my great honor to fight for you against whatever dangers that come upon the world," she said, her voice much more formal than what she used on the radio.

Serena raised both of her hands in front of her and waved them frantically, closing her eyes and sweating slightly as uneasiness took over her body. "Please stand that's not necessary."

Miko nodded and stood. Serena opened her eyes and smiled. She extended her hand. "Welcome Miko and you fight with me. Not for me."

Miko's eyes widened. "But your highness. You are queen and shouldn't be fighting. You should leave that to those who protect you."

"If I was meant to do that, then I wouldn't be able to become Sailor Moon. We shall fight together."

Miko nodded and watched as the others turned back to their normal looks.

"I'm Serena, this is Sapphire," she said, motioning to him, "and this little girl here is Jasmine."

"I am not a little girl!" Jasmine snapped and folded her arms.

"Oh, I remember you! You are the one that got so nervous over the radio that you fainted!" Miko said.

Serena and Sapphire turned to look at the youngest of the group before bursting out into laughter.

"It's not funny!" she protested.

"I am pleased to meet you all," Miko said.

"I know it's late but do you have time to come back to my place. We have a lot to talk about."

"Yes of course. It's only eight o'clock after all," Miko replied.

Sapphire and Serena looked at her strangely.

"We left my apartment at eight. That is impossible."

"No, its eight now. Well, it is fifteen after. See?" Miko showed them her watch and sure enough, she was right. Serena and Sapphire turned to look at Jasmine who was slowly backing away, while rubbing the back of her head and laughing nervously. Suddenly, she turned and ran away from them.

"What's her deal?" Miko asked.

"Let's go and we will explain on the way," Sapphire said and they all took off running after the young girl.

--

"Okay I so tricked you, but was it really necessary to throw me into the fountain?" Jasmine mumbled as she dried her hair with a towel. She was wearing a pair of Serena's warm sweats that seemed to engulf her tiny form. Though it had been a way since the "dip" in the fountain, she was still shivering.

"We waited there an hour," Sapphire said, then took a sip of the tea in his mug.

"It's your fault for not looking at the clock," she replied, and then added, "and for leaving me alone at the contest."

"Let's just drop that for now and get on to business," Sapphire said.

Serena turned toward Miko. "How long have you been a scout?"

"Only about a month," she said. "It took me about half of the month to realize that all this magical girl wackiness was actually real."

"I know how you feel," Jasmine said with a giggle. She came to me in a hologram and I thought I was seeing things. Then, I thought she was a ghost. It took me a good two weeks to not go into denial every time I looked at my power wand."

"Yeah, but now I find it to be pretty cool. It's as if I have a solid goal in my life. A purpose instead of just roaming around doing radio gigs."

"Exactly," Jasmine replied. "I'm happy to know I'm not just a freak who can see visions."

"Did my mother ever tell you anything about rounding up the scouts? Did she give any hints to who they were?"

"No, she didn't tell me anything. You mean you have no information either?"

"No, nothing. We are just relying on fate and luck to guide us to them."

Miko bit her bottom lip and directed her gaze from her mug to Serena. "I know this girl," she began, hesitantly. "Since I've become a scout I've been getting weird feelings from her. Do you have a way to find out if someone could be a scout?"

"If I get near her enough my crystal would react a bit. Who is she?"

"Her name is Nikita. She comes to the studio every Friday and does the movie reviews. There's an aura about her that tells me there's more to her. That she's more than a normal human being. Obviously I can't approach her about it."

"Think you can get me near her?" Serena questioned.

"Yes, you three come to my show tomorrow. Then we can find out. If she is a scout, I don't think she knows it yet."

---

The next day, Miko greeted Serena, Sapphire, and Jasmine at the door and easily escorted them past the security in the station. She guided them to a place where they could watch what was going on and pointed to Nikita. "That's her," she said.

Serena took in the young woman as she sat down in front of one of the microphones. Serena felt a shock jolt through her when the brown haired girl directed her hazel gaze directly at her. It was as if she was being continuously jolted with static electricity. Serena absently grabbed Sapphire's hand and squeezed it, unable to keep from looking at the girl.

Sapphire looked over at Serena, his face painted with worry, when he felt her squeeze his hand tightly. "Serena are you alright?"

She didn't answer him until Miko sat down in front of her, blocking the direct line of vision to the other woman.

"I'm fine now," Serena said and pulled her hand away from his. She sifted through her purse.

"What's going on?" Jasmine said, ignoring the broadcast that had started.

Serena's eyes widened when she saw a new item resting in her purse. She slowly pulled it out and showed it to Sapphire and Jasmine. "Looks like Miko's hunch was right. When her gaze met mine, I felt like my body was constantly being subjected to static electricity. That's why I grabbed your hand," she said, directing her gaze to Sapphire. "I was scared.

Sapphire nodded. "So she's Sailor…"

"Comet," Serena said, looking back down at the wand in her hand.

After the broadcast, Miko directed her gaze to Serena. Serena nodded affirmation that Nikita was a scout. Miko stopped the woman before she left the studio. "Nikita, would you mind if I introduced you to my friends. They really want to meet you. "

"Sure, all right," she replied, her soft, meek voice a stark contrast with the confident tone she used in her movie reviews. They made their way to the audience area where Serena and the others were waiting.

"Everyone, this is Nikita," Miko said.

"Nice to meet you," Serena said, extending her hand.

Nikita nodded and took her hand. "Likewise," she replied then looked at Miko. "Now what do you really want with me? I have a feeling this is more than introducing me to these people."

Miko sighed. "You're right. We have something important to tell you. Would you mind coming with us to my place?" Miko questioned. Nikita blinked in surprise, and then nodded.

"Sure, I'll go. What do you need to talk to me about?"

"You'll see when we get there. It's nothing we can talk about here."

When they arrived at Miko's apartment and sat down, they got straight to the point.

"Do you know what a Sailor Scout is?" Miko asked.

Nikita looked surprised and nodded, "I had heard about the sailor scouts from the news broadcast but they were just a publicity stunt to promote the movies. They needed more help than that to promote those. They were horrid."

"What if we told you that they weren't just a publicly stunt and that you are one yourself?" Sapphire asked.

"To put it bluntly, I would ask what you were smoking."

"Guess we have to show her. Jasmine, would you do the honors?" Serena asked.

"Sure," she said as she stood.

She raised her power stick in the air and spoke the words needed for her transformation, "Sailor Star Cosmic Power!"

Jasmine was engulfed in blue light, as pink stars surrounded her, at parts of her body; they tied together into cloth and flashed pink before turning into her outfit. When the light faded from her, she was completely dressed in her Sailor uniform.

Nikita's eyes widened and her mouth formed a wide O.

"Are you okay?" Serena asked, covering the woman's hand with hers.

"Are you saying that I can do that?" Nikita questioned.

Serena nodded, removed the comet wand from her purse, and handed it to Nikita. "Stand up and say, Sailor Comet Cosmic Power," Serena said.

Nikita slowly stood and stared down at the gray and maroon wand. "Okay… Sailor Comet Cosmic Power!"

She was engulfed in a maroon light as small gray orbs surrounded her body. When they hit her, they gave off a yellowish tint and her uniform appeared. After thirty seconds, the young woman found herself standing there in a uniform as well.

Everyone waited anxiously for her to start freaking out. To their amazement, she didn't say a word, she just stared down at the clothing she was wearing, nodded once, and then fainted.

Serena and Jasmine rushed to her and sat her in a chair as Miko got her a cold compress for her head.

"That went well," Jasmine said sarcastically.

"Oh, she'll be fine once the reality sets in. We were," Miko said.

"That's still being debated," Jasmine said.

* * *


	12. Apology

**Footprints In The Snow**

**Author: MoonStarDutchess**

**Chapter 12: Apology**

**Rating: T**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. **

**AN: Hope you enjoy this. Please review.  
**

**AAN: March 21 2007: I have decided to begin revisions of this story now. I am changing it from present to past tense, adding details, and looking over spelling and grammar mistakes. I am sure I overlooked a few things though. I am only human right? **

**Apology**

"Serena, are you alright?" Sapphire said sitting across from her in the cafe. She'd been quite all day. It was like she was in her own little world. He almost jumped when she answered him.

"Yea, I am fine. I'm just worried about Lia's reaction."

"Hey, she will be fine. She's adapted pretty well within the past few weeks," he offerd the best smile he could muster.

"I remember when I first found out. I treated it all like a video game not taking anything seriously. I still can't believe that this is me sometimes. It seems like a crazy dream that I will wake up from and find myself to be normal. I just don't want to pressure Lia into something she doesn't want to do."

Sapphire looked stunned at her words.

"That is deep coming from you," he said.

She frowned and sighed, "I need a walk," she said standing up from her seat. Sapphire noticed the hurt look that crossed her face at his comment. He stood and walked over to Serena who was getting out money. He paidfor them both and she shrugged and walked out. He followed her quickly.

"Serena, I didn't mean that the way that it sounded. It's just I am used to the goofy Serena."

She stopped, turned, and sighed. "I don't want that Serena to be all that people see," she said and looked up at him with tears in her eyes."I am not perfect, I am not going to pretend to be. I am not the smartest, prettiest, or most talented person in the world but I do have good qualities that I wish people could see. No, all the scouts see is Princess Serenity or Neo Queen Serenity. Take your pick," she said and ran away from him.

"Serena!" he yelled after her. He looked to his left and saw Lia, Jasmine, and Miko.

"What was that about?" Jasmine asked.

"I said something I shouldn't have and hurt her feelings."

"What did you say?" Miko yelled at him.

"I didn't mean it the way it sounded," he said not answering her question.

"I suggest you find her and apologize." Lia said timidly.

"I know," he said going in the direction that Serena went. He arrived at the apartment building and went up to the floor that their apartments were on. Just as Sapphire approached her door he heard a familiar voice.

"Sapphire dear, Do you know what is wrong with my granddaughter?" she asked.

He turned to Serena's grandmother walking toward him.

"Yes, Ma'am. I am afraid that I hurt her feelings. I was on my way to apologize."

"I see," she said, bringing her hands up to her chin, "well good luck with that."

"Yes, Ma'am," he said and knocked on her door.

"Go on in. She was on her balcony."

"Thanks," he said and walked inside.

Sure enough she was standing on her balcony. He walked out and she turned around quickly.

"Hello," he said.

Serena frowned and turned back around. He sighed and began his apology. "Look, Serena. I didn't mean that comment the way it sounded."

"Oh, how did you mean it then?"

"It's just that I am not used to those comments. I haven't talked to you much before I died or before you came here. It's just I am used to the silly, peppy Serena. The aspect to your personality that you showed today caught me off guard. I never meant that you were stupid or never though seriously about anything. As for you being perfect, I never expect that from anyone."

"Was that an apology?" she asked.

"Yes it was."

She nodded and turned to look back out at her view. "I never asked for any of this," she began. He walked up beside her. "I was a normal teen girl with normal problems. My biggest worry was my grades in high school. Then destiny and a past popped into my lap. Then I meet the scouts one by one, find out that I am a princess and that Darien was my love. I go through all these battles and figure out that I am queen of crystal Tokyo in the future."

Sapphire just listened as she confessed everything in her head.

"Then I realize that I love Darien as nothing more than a brother. Then it hit me. Would I be friends with the scouts if I'd never become Sailor Moon? Those are questions that I will never have answers for and I want them so much."

Sapphire could say nothing. He just placed his hand on her shoulder. She looked into his eyes then said, "I forgive you. Now, I am sorry."

"Sorry for what?" he asked.

"Confessing my guts out like that," she said. She had tears threatening to come out of her eyes. She was shocked when he pulled her into his arms and hugged her.

"Go ahead, let it out," he said. He didn't know what possessed him, all he knew was that it felt right.

She cuddled closer, then let all of her tears go. All the inner frustrations of unanswered questions leaving her body and soaking his shirt. Sapphire was happy to let her cry. He place a hand on top of her head and whispered.

"Anytime you need me, I'll be here."


	13. Thoughts and Feelings

**Footprints In The Snow**

**Author: MoonStarDutchess**

**Chapter 13: Thoughts and Feelings**

**Rating: T**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. **

**AN: Hope you enjoy this. Please review. J**

**AAN: March 21 2007: I have decided to begin revisions of this story now. I am changing it from present to past tense, adding details, and looking over spelling and grammar mistakes. I am sure I overlooked a few things though. I am only human right? **

**Thoughts and Feelings**

Sapphire lead Serena over to a two person seat and sat down, She looked up and wiped her tears. "Thank you," she said in a low voice. He nodded and smiled very slightly. They both stared out at the cityscape she was still leaning on Sapphire and he still had his arms around her. Either they didn't notice or didn't care to mention it. She went deep into thought. Once again asking unanswerable questions.

Why was she there in Kyoto? Why did she fall our of love with the person that she was supposedly destined to be with? Her thoughts went back to Darien and what he was doing. She hoped that he was ok and had moved on. She honestly did. He was a nice sweet guy but she knew that he needed an intellectual match. She was nowhere near as smart as him, or as tough. Ray or Amy would be better suited to him than she was. Why not one of them?

All these years of her being Sailor Moon she wanted to be normal. She would have rather stayed in the dark about her past life. All the deaths she saw, all the ones that she caused, even the ones that she killed herself, affected her in some way. Her first human kill. . .Jedite.

Thought she didn't kill him with her own powers she knew that his fate with that witch wasn't in doubt. He was destroyed someway. And it was all because he didn't defeat the sailors. He was an enemy and she couldn't let him kill them. There was no other way but that didn't mean that it didn't weigh on her mind.

Then there was Nephrite. That was a guy that Molly had fallen for. He turned out to be a nice guy in the end. Then that bitch had to go and kill him. One person Serena didn't feel guilty about Zoiteite. That is until she heard Malakite say that he would see her soon. He was the first death by her hands really. Other than the monsters she fought. She knocked his own attack back at him and he was dead. In the end, when she went home she kind of admired the love he had with her. She wasn't sure about it but anyone that you say when you die that you will join them had to be some kind of friend or lover right? She reasoned that in her head.

The Queen bitch was next. Remorse for her? Yes, she still was a life regardless how evil and cruel she was. All her enemies had lives. Then the Negamoon family came into play. Starting with the four sisters who gratefully remained alive. Rebus however was a different story. He had blown up on the ship that they were on. She felt pity for him. To be so cold and cruel. To have to die such a death. There was nothing she could do and she put her friends and family first above all.

Then there was Emerald who died as a result of jealously that she needed not to have possessed. Diamond was killed and it affected her in a way that she wouldn't think it would. It killed her that he was in love with her and that at the time she was head over heels for Darien. All he wanted was the best for his people. He wanted them to be able to see waterfalls, flowers, and other natures of the world. He died saving her. How many people risked their lives to save her lazy butt?

There was one enemy that she fought that she felt no remorse about killing, that was the doom phantom. She was glad that he was gone forever. No remorse, no pity was anywhere in her body for that monster.

She thought back and realized that she missed one. The death of the person that is now very much alive: Sapphire. He was a kind individual who deserved all the happiness in the world. When he died she didn't know him that well. Now that she spent some time with him she was growing quite fond of him, obviously considering her current position.

He was rather quiet and shy. When she asked a stupid question he would just grin a bit and answer her. He had no family left here. His brother was his only family and his brother was dead as a result of saving her. He even died because she didn't make it there in time.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked with that slight smile that tore her heart up.

"Do you blame me?" she asked looking at him.

He looked at her confused. "For what?"

"For what happened to you. I wasn't there in time to keep you from dying. And your brother died saving me."

Sapphire was surprised at the question. In an unexpected move he pulled her even closer to him. "No, the thought of blaming you never crossed my mind."

She looked up into his beautiful blue eyes. "Thank you," she replied.

He started to let go of her until Serena, in a bold move, grabbed one of his hands intertwined her fingers with his.

He looked down at their hands and then into her eyes. He leaned back into his chair and relaxed. She breathed deeply and before she realized it, she fell asleep.

He smiled and picked the small woman up into his arms. She shifted to get more comfortable. He carried her into her room and slid her under the covers of her bed. He smiled and walked out of her room and the apartment, being sure to lock the door on his way out.

Serena woke up the next morning in her bed. She sat up and looked around.

"When I fell asleep I was outside in Sapphire's arms," she said aloud. She smiled at the memory. She was slowly falling for him she knew it. He was sweet, and gorgeous! Not that Daren wasn't of course. It was just that Sapphire and she had more in common being that he was only a year older than she was.

_OK, time to be honest. Darien can't hold a candle to Sapphire, _she thought.

She even thought that when they were dating. Sure, if someone were to take a quick glance at the two they would think they were brothers, but if they took a closer look they would see the differences more clearly.

Sapphire has dark blue hair with eyes matching his hair color. His body has more of a tone to it than Darien's yet it was slightly skinner. Probably due to the age difference. Darien has black hair with very attractive bright blue eyes.

Serena realized what she was thinking and whom she was comparing. She fell back onto the bed.

"UGH, Why do I always have to fall for someone! Why can't I just be content with not having a man!"

"Just who have you fallen for my dear?"

Serena looked up to see her grandmother in the door to her bedroom.

* * *

_**AN: This chapter was really fun to write. Please review.**_


	14. First Appearence

**Footprints In The Snow**

**Author: MoonStarDutchess**

**Chapter 14: First Appearance**

**Rating: T**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. **

**AN: Hope you enjoy this. Please review. **

**AAN: March 21, 2007: I have decided to begin revisions of this story now. I am changing it from present to past tense, adding details, and looking over spelling and grammar mistakes. I am sure I overlooked a few things though. I am only human right?**

* * *

**First Appearance**

"Grand. . . Grandmother! What are you doing here?"

"Sapphire put you to bed but he didn't want to change your clothes so he came to my apartment and explained to me so I came in and put you in your pajamas. I just came back in to check on you when I heard your last statement. Now dear, let us talk about who you have fallen for. As if I didn't already know."

"Grandmother!" she said sitting up.

She walked over and sat on the bed beside her granddaughter. "What? You mean it isn't Sapphire?"

Serena blushed and sighed, "I shouldn't feel this way about him but I do."

"He is a lovely young man, he's respectful, and handsome. Why shouldn't you fall for him?"

"Because it wasn't long ago that I broke up with my old boyfriend."

"Serena, it's been several months since then. You can't expect to not fall for someone."

"I guess," she said looking down at her lap.

"Serena, he feels the same way that you do but he is shy."

She looked up surprised. Her grandmother stood up and smiled. "Don't be afraid of your feelings. They are the strongest thing you have in you." She said simply and left the room.

Serena got up, took a shower and headed out the door. She walked down the hall not watching where she was going and bumped into Sapphire.

"Sorry about that," she said.

"Not a problem," he replied. The two just stare at each other for a minute and Serena broke the silence.

"Um. . .Thank You for last night. I. . . I mean for putting me in my bed," she said blushing bright red.

"You're welcome," he replied.

"Well. . ." she said looking down at her feet.

"You want to go to the mall?" Sapphire asked suddenly.

She looked up at him confused at first then smiled brightly and said, "Sure!"

--

"Sailor Moon and the Scouts are on this planet. It is such a measly place compared to the other places we have looked," a woman with long black hair said.

"Yes, my love but we mustn't forget that this is the place closest to where the moon kingdom once was," a man with red hair said.

"You think she would have enough common sense to send them further away not some planet like this one. I guess I gave her more credit than that," she replied.

"You must give her credit toward one thing," he said.

"What is that?" the woman asked.

"She had us fooled."

The woman grinned menacingly. "Until now," she replied, "MONARTH!"

A monster appeared before the two people. She was light blue with dark blue stripes around her body. She had light blue wings similar to a moths and they had dark blue designs on them.

"Find the sailor scouts and destroy them. Start in that city called Kyoto. Just start creating mayhem and destroy things. They are sure to come." The monster nodded and disappeared.

--

Serena and Sapphire were walking through the mall, they both have milk shakes in their hands.

"You know, I think ice cream is my favorite food," Sapphire said sitting down on a bench.

Serena sat beside him and laughed.

"I love ice cream but my fave food is my mother's lemon pie."

"I think it is a bad thing that our favorite foods are sweets."

Serena rubbed the back of her head and giggled. "You're right," she said. Sapphire smiled at her and she blushes. She stood up quickly. "Let's go to the arcade."

Unfortunately when she turned around she bumped into a guy and her strawberry shake went flying into the air and hit on her head. The people around them erupt into laughter and she frowned and blushed deep red. A group of girls yelled at Sapphire,

"You should come with us, you don't need such a klutz!" Sapphire stood calmly, took his handkerchief out and wiped off her face.

She looked away from him. "They're right, you should get away from me. I am a klutz. I'm not good enough for you or anyone else," she said with tears streaming down her face.

He wiped the tears away and pulled her face so she was looking him in the eyes.

"I think you are wonderful Serena," he said he pulled her chin up and kissed her softly on the lips. Needless to say that it shut up the group of girls and the people around them went about their own business.

They pulled away and she blushed. "No more tears," he said taking off his leather jacket and putting it around her shoulders.

She nodded and looked up at him. "I'd been wanting you to do that for a while now," she confessed.

"I'd been wanting to," he confessed as well.

Suddenly their touching moment is interrupted by a scream,

"What the hell!" Sapphire said.

"Let's go check it out," she replied.

They ran to where the noise was coming from. There was a Moth-like creature attacking people and destroying the building. Rubble was flying from the roof and the glass windows of the stores were broken. The glass littering the floor.

"So much for a vacation," she said.

"Right," he replied.

They found a deserted hallway and transformed. They walked in front of the monster.

"Hold it right there!" she yelled.

The creature turned to her, "I am Sailor Moon champ. . ." Serena sweat dropped.

"What is wrong?" Sapphire asked.

"I just realized how corny that sounds. I mean really, champion of love and justice."

"Then say something else," he replied looking confused. The moth creature looked more confused than Sapphire.

"Right," she said and turned to the creature.

"I am Sailor Moon and I fight to protect this planet to preserve our futures. I won't let you destroy what we are working so hard in building. In the name of the Moon I will destroy you!"

She turned to Sapphire. "Your turn!"

"My turn for what?"

"Say something witty," she replied.

"I would do that only if I threw roses," he replied.

Serena giggled at the joke referring to Darien. The more she thought about it the more gay that seemed. Really, what kind of grown man throws roses?

The moth looked strangely at them then attacked. Sapphire noticed and grabbed Serena out of the way.

"Sorry," she said.

"Not a problem," he replied.

He stood and unsheathed his sword. "Shadow Beam Strike!" he yelled. A wide beam of dark blue energy hit the moth's wing and it fell to the ground.

"Nice one!" Sailor Moon said then turns to the creature who is now standing.

"Let me give it a try," she said. She took off her tiara and got ready to try a new attack.

"Moon Tiara slicer!" she yelled. The moth jumped in the air and seemingly though it had dodged the tiara. The tiara came back around and sliced off the other wing. The moth screamed in pain and fell to it's knees. Suddenly a cloud of white dust encircled it. When the dust dissipated there was a cocoon type object and it moves .

"That can't be good," Serena said.

A claw stuck out of the cocoon and wiggled. It was the most ugly thing Serena had ever seen.

"Neither can that," Sapphire replied.

The cocoon exploded. It knocked Serena into Sapphire and it blasted them towards a window. They were caught by Sailor Sun, Sailor Star, and Sailor Comet. The smoke cleared and nothing was there.

"Did it self-destruct?" Star asked.

"I don't see it anywhere," Sun replied.

"That was too easy," Sapphire said, "There should be more to it."

They heard something and look up. The monster was flying above them and it had changed. It was now green and black. It had deep red eyes and fangs. A green substance was dripping from the fangs. When the substance hit the floor it sizzled and melted the tile.

"This is so fucking bad," said Sun.

The others nodded, ignoring her curse word.

"Well let's not stand here. Let's beat this thing." Serena said.

Sapphire looked over at her and smiled.

"Let's do it," he replied.

They all stood and the moth charged at them. . .


	15. First Appearence Pt 2

**Footprints In The Snow**

**Author: MoonStarDutchess**

**Chapter 15: First Appearance Pt. 2**

**Rating: T**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. **

**AN: Hope you enjoy this. Please review. **

**AAN: March 21, 2007: I have decided to begin revisions of this story now. I am changing it from present to past tense, adding details, and looking over spelling and grammar mistakes. I am sure I overlooked a few things though. I am only human right? **

**Also a little added naughtiness. Not a lemon though. **

**First Appearance: Part 2**

The moth charged forward at an amazing speed, the poison flowing behind it as the air hit it.

"STAR DAGGERS!" Sailor Star yelled as she jumped into the air. Her arms started to glow and she made an X in front of her chest. Moving her arm outwards, a stream of blue looking stars fly toward the monster. The scouts jumped out of the moth's path and it crashed through a store window. The poison leaked out onto the mannequins causing them to melt, the plastic running onto floor.

"Shit! That's not good!" Sun yelled as the moth got up from its place in the floor.

"COMET ICE MIST!" Sailor Comet yelled. She spun and a stream of white encircled her, starting from her feet going around her, up to her hand. She swung her arm out in from of her and a stream of ice mist went toward the moth freezing it.

"Guess I am up!" Sailor Moon said.

She stepped forward and raised both of her hands putting the palms together; she closed her eyes and brought them down as if she was praying. Her hands glowed a bright yellow. She opened her eyes and slowly moved her hands away from each other leaving a golden orb. She then smashed the orb and it encircled her entire body.

She extended her hands in front of her, palms facing outward. The power glided down her arms and built up.

"MOON ESSENCE BEAM!" The power left her palms and hit the moth breaking it into pieces. She stopped glowing and was breathing heavily. Sapphire sighed and walked up to Serena's side. He laid a hand on her shoulder and she leaned against him.

"You alright?" He asked. Serena just nodded and moved closer. He put his arms around her shoulder and held her close. The other three scouts smiled at the two.

"Is there something that you want to tell the three of us?" Sun asked with a smirk.

She and Sapphire blushed and she hid her face in his chest.

"Looks like Moon wants to cuddle," Star teased.

"They are so cute," Comet said.

"Shut up," Serena said, her voice muffled by Sapphire's chest.

"We should get out of here," Sapphire said ignoring the comments.

"Yes, I agree" Moon said pulling away slightly. The other scouts decided to stop the teasing . . . for now. They all turned to walk away when they heard a voice.

"You are stronger than I first thought." They turned and saw two people floating in the air. A red-haired man was holding a beautiful black-haired woman close to him.

"Who the hell are you?" Sun asked.

The black haired woman looked at them then up at the man holding her. "Only four scouts," the woman pouted, "Monarth must have been awfully weak to have been beaten. Let's see . . .," she said, first pointing at moon. Sapphire pulled her closer to him. She pointed at each of them as she names them off.

"Sailor Moon, Sailor Star, Sailor Comet, Sailor Sun, and Prince Sapphire was it? Wow I was expecting that other prince with Sailor Moon but by the looks of the two of you I'd say that relationship is over."

"There's a scout missing huh," the red haired man said.

"Sun asked who the hell you were!" Comet snapped.

"Oh, how rude," the woman said in a huffy tone.

"We are part of the Dark Star Clan from the Dark Wave Galaxy and why we are here will be revealed in time but for now treasure your life. It will end soon!" the red haired man said and the two of them disappeared.

"Who were those people?" Sailor Moon said.

"We should get out of here. Let's talk about this somewhere else."

"Right," Star said. They all ran out into an abandoned alley and transformed back to normal.

"Let's go back to my place," Serena said.

-------------

"Why didn't we destroy them right there Gamma!" the black-haired woman said.

He turned to her and pulled her into his arms.

"Because the fifth scout isn't there yet and you know that we aren't going to destroy them completely." She pulled away from him and crossed her arms.

"Why couldn't we destroy them then find the fifth scout and destroy her?"

"Callisto, you know we need all five of them together to revive _them._"

"Fine," she said and started to walk out of the room. Gamma grabbed her wrist and pushed her up against the wall his eyes glowing green.

"You listen and you listen to me right now! You do not fight them on this. They need the energy and I refuse to betray them! Don't get to comfortable in this position Callisto for you can lose it faster than you gained it. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal. Now let me go."

"No," he said kissing her roughly. She pushed him away.

"I do believe that you just scolded me. A woman can only take so much before she bites back."

"I like the sound of that," he said with a grin. She flipped her dark hair over her shoulder and strutted out of the room. On her way out, she said in a disgusted tone. "You would."

Serena sat down a tray with a pitcher of ice tea and glasses on the table in her living area. Then sat beside Sapphire on the couch.

"What now? We know very little about our enemy and we don't have the fifth scout yet," Lia said.

"Well first let's state the things we do know," Sapphire said.

"We know that they somehow know about the moon kingdom which isn't a big surprise," Serena said.

"We know that they're from something called the Dark Star Clan and they are from a galaxy called the Dark Wave Galaxy. We know they want to destroy us," Jasmine said.

"What else?" Serena asked.

"I know that I want to kick their asses," Miko replied wrinkling her nose as if she smelled something bad. Everyone laughed slightly at the tough girl.

"Ok, next what do we need to find out," Serena asked. Sapphire smiled inwardly at the young woman before him. She' was not the same Sailor Moon as before. She was more focused; more mature yet still sweet and goofy. He wouldn't have her any other way.

"Sapphire?" Serena said snapping him from his thoughts.

"Yes?"

"You just spaced off there," she said.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was thinking. What were you guys saying?"

"We were talking about the things that we still need to know."

"Right. Well we need to know where the final Sailor Scout is. Then maybe we can find out why these people want to destroy us and how to stop them."

"Tokyo," Jasmine said to them. They all turned to her.

"I beg your pardon?" Lia asked.

"The final scout is in Tokyo," Jasmine said.

"How do you know that?" Lia replied.

"I guess we forgot to mention to you that Jasmine here has visions," Serena replied.

"I see," she replied.

"We still need to find out more about them. Serena do you think Luna knows anything?" Sapphire asked.

"No, but I know someone who may. I don't know if she will tell me anything."  
"Who?" Sun asked.

"Sailor Pluto," she said.

"Why would she know?" Lia inquired.

"She's the guardian of time. I don't know how much she would or can tell us but it may be worth a try," Serena said to them.

"Where is she?" Miko asked.

"The last place I saw her was Tokyo but maybe Amara and Michelle can tell me where I can find her."

"Who?" they all ask at the same time. A look of confusion covered their faces.

"Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune," Serena said.

"OH!" they all say again.

"So I guess that means winter break is consisting of a lovely trip to Tokyo," Miko said.

"Yes, this Saturday we leave," Sapphire replied.

Jasmine stood and said,

"I need to get back home."

"Me too," Lia said, standing with her.

Miko, who was already standing, walked toward them and turned toward Serena and Sapphire.

"I'm gonna walk these two home. Jasmine has a way of finding trouble."

"I do not!" she pouted. Serena started to stand up but Miko raised a hand to stop her.

"Don't get up. We will see you Saturday when we leave, alright?"

"Yes, thank you," she said.

Sapphire and Serena sit quietly until they hear the door close with a click. Serena sighs.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine, I just wasn't expecting to return to Tokyo so soon."

"Darien?" he asked.

"He's part of it. I wanted to put some distance between us."

"You might not even run into him again," he said.

"I bet you I will bump into him. I have a strange way of doing that," she said.

"I am sure he's fine. Although I bet you are hard to get over," he said not looking at her and looking straight ahead.

"If you stayed with me in Tokyo I am sure that I wouldn't bump into him. It usually happens when I am alone."

Sapphire laughed and pulled her closer, "Then I won't leave your side," he said as she cuddled closer. They stay quiet for a while taking pleasure in the silence. It was Serena who breaks the silence. She looked up at him.

"Does this mean that you're my boyfriend now?" He looked down at her.

"That depends on you," he said.

"What do you mean?"

"If you are ready for another relationship then I would gladly have you as a girlfriend but if you aren't I will wait until you are ready."

"You would wait on me?"

"Yes," he replied. She blushed a bright red and nodded.

"I would really like it if you would be my boyfriend."

"Then I guess it's settled," he said.

She leaned up as he leaned down. Their lips met in a sweet kiss that sent chills all over Serena. Sapphire was affected in pretty much the same fashion. It was nothing like any kiss either had experienced. Serena boldly crawled in his lap as they deepened the kiss, the sweet kiss turning passionate.

Serena reached beside her to turn off the lamp and straddled his lap. The woman on him was intoxicating to all of his senses. Her hands rested on his shoulders as his moved to her waist. She pulled away long enough to breath but before he could say anything her lips collided with his once more.

She didn't know what got into her. She was never this bold but she knew what she wanted. She didn't want him to think she was a slut or anything but dammit, she wanted him. He invaded every fiber of her in the short time she'd known him. He made her burn more than Darien ever did.

She pulled away from his lips and moved to kisses his neck and trailed her hands to the button of his shirt. She couldn't believe she was being this bold after just becoming his girlfriend. She just couldn't help herself. Something felt so right about it.

He realized what she was doing when he felt the buttons open on his shirt and the kisses on his neck. His hands, seemingly of their own accord, took the shirt tucked into her skirt and pulled it out. He then came back to reality. He pulled her hands away from his shirt, which was now unbuttoned. She pulled away to look in his eyes.

"We can't do this," he said.

"Why?" she asked.

"We just started dating. I wouldn't want to take advantage of you like that. You deserve more."

"No taking advantage," she said. "Don't you feel like we are so right?"

Then Sapphire realized it. He was head over heels in love with the girl sitting on him.

"I love you," he said. Serena gasped, then realized she too loved him. In that short time she'd fell in love with him.

She moved to his lips and said in an out of character fashion for her, "Then prove it." Her lips moved to his. He pulled away again.

"Are you sure?" he asked. She nodded. He picked her up and carried her to her bedroom.

-------------------------

"Queen Serenity, are you sure that my granddaughter . . . I mean the princess is ready to face them?"

"You may call her your granddaughter. On this earth, she was reborn as your granddaughter. In addition, I when she finds Sailor Meteor her and the scouts' powers will heighten. Not even I know what the Dark Star Clan is after but I know that it will be the hardest fight they will ever face."

Queen Serenity turned to a yellow and black cat and a black and white cat sitting beside Serena's grandmother.

"Train them to the best of your ability you two," she said.

"Yes you're highness," the yellow and black cat said.

"I will make sure Serena finds Rio and Pasha," Serena's grandmother said.

"Thank you and you be careful as well Cecelia." Then Queen Serenity faded away.

"So, Rio, Pasha, are you ready to meet my granddaughter?"

_**  
**_


	16. Tokyo A Go Go

**Footprints In The Snow**

**Author: MoonStarDutchess**

**Chapter 16: Tokyo A Go Go**

**Rating: T**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. **

**AN: Hope you enjoy this. Please review. **

**AAN: I have decided to begin revisions of this story now. I am changing it from present to past tense, adding details, and looking over spelling and grammar mistakes. I am sure I overlooked a few things though. I am only human right? **

**Tokyo A Go Go**

Serena never did this with Darien and she was glad of it. She was so happy that she'd waited, she had no regrets doing this with Sapphire. They laid in her bed and he was holding her tightly against him, a blue cover over the both of them.

"This is nice," she said with a sigh, resting her head on his chest.

"Are you sure you are alright?" he asked.

"Never better," she said and leaned up to kiss him. He pulled her closer and Serena snuggled even closer. Right when she got comfortable the doorbell rung.

"Figures," she said with a sigh. Sapphire smiled down at the young woman. "The very minute I get really comfortable the doorbell goes and rings" She sighed again and left the comfort of the blue cover and Sapphire's embrace. She slipped on her robe and walked to her front door. She opened it and no one was there. She frowned and started to close the door when she heard a meow. Looking down, she saw two cats in a box.

"THEY'RE SO CUTE!" she exclaimed. Sapphire walked out with his clothes back on but the shirt not buttoned.

"What is?" he asked, walking over to the door. He saw the cats in the box and smiled. He leaned down and picked them both up. The black and white one crawled upon his shoulder while the yellow and black one jumped in Serena's arms. She gave a surprise yell when the cat jumped at her and she caught it.

"I guess they want us huh?" Sapphire said with a grin and scratched the cat on his shoulder under the chin.

"Guess so," she said. The cats jumped off them and went into the apartment. Sapphire bent down to pick up the box. He took it inside and Serena closed the door. "You can put the box in that corner." she said pointing to a corner of the room. He did this and they look at it. "No note?"

"No, just the blanket," he replied. Suddenly a bright light appeared behind them. They turned around and to their complete shock, when the light faded the two cats had crescent moons on their foreheads. "What the hell?"

The two cats walked in front of them and bowed their heads. The black and white cat spoke first.

"Your mother sent us to help you. I am Rio," he said. The yellow and black cat then spoke.

"I am Pasha," she said.

Sapphire and Serena were still dumbstruck. Serena recovered first and said, "Pleasure to meet you both."  
"Why am I surprised? I've seen far weirder things than talking cats," he then introduced himself, "I am Sapphire."

"So what exactly are you here to help us with?" Serena said.

"With anything that you may need of us," Pasha said.

"Pasha is to stay with you. I am to stay with Sapphire."

"Well, what can I say but welcome?" Sapphire replied. "Just let me know what you need and I will take good care of you." Rio jumped upon his shoulder again.

"More chin rubs would be great," he said brightly. Sapphire laughed and rubbed him under the chin. He let loose a purr.

"You'll have to excuse him, he is quite a lazy cat," Pasha said. Serena picked her up.

"I am not lazy; I just like to take pleasure of the luxuries of life if I have them."

"Nothing wrong with that," Sapphire said.

Pasha rolled her eyes, "Males! Without us females they would still be hunting out in the wilderness for food!"  
"Pasha, there are cats that still do that. Tigers being one of them."

"Yes and they are stupid for doing so! That is just on earth. At the moon kingdom there wasn't any stupid animals like that."

"Stop complaining about the way others live Pasha," Rio snapped.

"Excuse me!"

"Okay you two stop the arguing. If you two argue so much then why did my mother team you up?"

"Come on! We work great together right Pasha?" Pasha yawned and didn't answer. "Pasha! Tell them!"

"What?" she replied pretending as if she didn't hear him.

"Hump!"

Serena and Sapphire laughed at the two cats.

"I have a feeling that it's going to be fun having the two of you around," Serena said.

"I should get going," Sapphire said. Serena grabbed his hand.

"You can stay here tonight," she said. The cats blushed when they realized their masters form of dress.

"Sure you could! It's not like you two could do anything worse that what you've already. . ." Rio started to say but Pasha clawed his leg with a hiss.

Serena looked at Sapphire and nodded, "He's right," she said. Sapphire nodded at his girlfriend. Rio was right after all.

-----------------------

**Saturday Morning . . .**

-----------------------------

Serena, Sapphire, Rio, and Pasha were waiting at the airport on the others. Serena and Rio both yawn loudly and at the same time. Sapphire smiled at the two as Pasha scoffed at them.

"You two should have gone to bed earlier instead of staying up all night playing that video game." Sapphire yawned directly after she said that and she shot him a look. "That goes for you too," she said.

"Serena! Sapphire!" Jasmine yelled and ran over to the two happily. She was carrying her blue backpack and her suitcase.

"You certainly look happy," Sapphire said.

"This is my first time going to Tokyo! So of course, I am excited!" she replied.

"Let's hope we can keep her in her seat on the way there," Miko said walking up to them followed shortly by Lia.

"What time is the flight?" Lia asked.

"We have about twenty minutes to get to the gate." Rio replied.

"How about carriers for Rio and Pasha? They won't let you just carry them on the plane."

"That is what makes us so much better than the average cat!" Pasha replied. "Just take us to a less public section and we will show you." They all walked to a hallway of the airport cleared for painting. "Ready Rio?"

Rio nodded and they both closed their eyes. Their crescent moons glowed and before the groups very eyes they shrunk to around three inches. They all kneeled on the ground and looked at the two cats.

"Wow, that is cool! Now you can fit in a purse!" Lia said.

"That is the point; now let's get to the gate before our plane left us behind."

They all rushed to the gate and stood in line. Jasmine stared up at the gate number then looked down and mumbled.

"Gate thirteen," she said. Her eyes shot up to the number and widen. "OH HELL NO!" She said getting ready to leave the line. Lia and Miko grabbed her and she struggled.

"What's the matter with you?" Serena asked.

"The gate number is thirteen!" Jasmine replied. Serena looked at the gate number and back at Jasmine.

"I see," Serena said, "Lia, Miko, let go of her." Her voice was very calm. They did as they were told but shot her a strange look. Even Jasmine was shocked by the order. Serena picked up her carry on bag. "Let's go Jasmine," she said and started to walk away.

"Right behind you," she said.

"Oh no! You don't," Sapphire said grabbing Serena's waist, Miko and Lia grabbed Jasmine.

"Let me go!" Serena said. Sapphire turned her around in his arms and kissed her. Her arms folded around his neck and she kissed back. Jasmine stopped struggling and the three looked at them and blinked. Jasmine looked at Miko with a threatening.

"Don't you even think about doing that to me," she said. Lia and Miko let go of Jasmine. Sapphire pulled away.

"Why'd you do that?" Serena asked, a blush adorning her cheeks.

"To calm you down," he said. He had a redder blush on his cheeks than Serena.

"That did anything but calm me down," she said while the blush stayed put.

Miko, Lia, and Jasmine laugh at her comment. She realized how that sounded.

"I didn't mean it like that!" she exclaims.

"So! By the looks of that kiss, I'd say that we have a new royal couple amongst us," Miko said with a bow to emphasize the royal aspect.

"It's about time," Lia said.

"When are we going to see Royai babies?" Jasmine teased.

"Shut up," Sapphire said.

They finally boarded the plane and Jasmine sat down beside Miko.

"Dammit!" she yelled suddenly.

"What in the hell is it?" Miko snapped.

Jasmine grabbed on to her arm. This is the gate thirteen plane!"

Serena sat at the window and Sapphire sat beside her. Lia took the seat beside him. Serena sighed, "We are on the plane, and we might as well accept our fate."

"Why in are you so superstitious? You owned a black cat and nothing bad happened right?"

"Luna? . . . You are right but that doesn't help your case. If you consider what I have been through since I've met her then that proves black cats are bad luck," she said with a frown.

Sapphire studied Serena for a moment, then the fasten seatbelt sign came on. They all buckled their belts then Sapphire took her hand and squeezed it. She looked up at him and smiled. The plane took off toward Tokyo.

"WE ARE HERE AND NOTHING HAPPENED!" Jasmine exclaimed excitedly as they walked to get their bags. Serena took hold of Sapphire's hand. He looked down at her.

"Everything is going to be fine Serena. We will find Sailor Meteor and then get back to Kyoto as soon as we can alright?

"Thank you," she said. They made their way to the airports exit.

Jasmine turned around happily. "Where are we staying?" she asked.

"My grandmother's friend is letting us stay in a three bedroom apartment for the next two weeks. She gave me the address." Serena said. She handed Miko the paper, they got a taxi and go into the city. They soon pull up to a very familiar building.

"No, this can't be happening," Serena said softly, they all looked at her. "This is Darien's apartment building."

_**AN: Please review. . . **_


	17. Back In Tokyo

**Footprints In The Snow**

**Author: MoonStarDutchess**

**Chapter 17: Back In Tokyo**

**Rating: T**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. **

**AN: Hope you enjoy this. Please review. **

**AAN: March 21, 2007: I have decided to begin revisions of this story now. I am changing it from present to past tense, adding details, and looking over spelling and grammar mistakes. I am sure I overlooked a few things though. I am only human right? **

_**Back in Tokyo**_

They got out of the cab, got their bags, and paid the driver. The cab drove away then everyone turned their attention to a nervous Serena.

"Serena? You can't be serious!" Miko said.

"Believe me, I wouldn't joke about something like this," she replied.

"Look, this could be no problem," Lia stated, "What floor does Darien live on?"

"Eighth."

Miko looked down at the paper in her hand. "Then there is no problem. We are on the third floor. Just keep off and away from the elevator so you won't accidentally bump into him and you will be fine."

"It's not that easy for me. I have an uncanny ability to bump into him when I am alone."

"I thought we talked about this I won't leave you by yourself," Sapphire said.

"You mean it?"

"Of course I said I wouldn't leave you alone back in Kyoto didn't I? In addition, it's not safe for any of us to be alone. None of us should go out without someone else with us," Sapphire said.

"Agreed!" they all said.

Jasmine, Lia, and Miko all go to the doors. Sapphire picked up his bag, one of Serena's bags, and started toward the doors as well. He turned around when he noticed that she's not following him. He walked over to her and simply said,

"Don't worry."

These simple words calmed Serena down so much that it amazed her. She nodded, picked up her bags and they walked through the door. They got the key from the apartment building's owner. She looked at Serena and smiled,

"You've been in this building so many times visiting Darien and all this time I was friends with your grandmother."

"Yes, imagine that," Serena said.

"You haven't been around very much. I was wondering what happened to you. Imagine my surprise when I found out that you were her granddaughter. I kept asking Darien where you were."

"I didn't know that you were the owner here," Serena said.

"Small world isn't it? Well, you all have a nice day," the owner said as they all left her apartment. They all went up to the third floor via stairway. When they arrived to the floor, they were all out of breath.

"You wouldn't think Sailor Scouts would be this out of breath by climbing three flights of stairs," Miko said panting.

"I think the reason for that might be that we carried all of these bags up the stairs," Lia said. They looked down at their hands and each one of them had only one bag.

"Hey? Where's Sapphire?" Serena asked.

They heard a groan behind them and turned and saw Sapphire passed out on his back on the floor with their other bags surrounding him.

"Sapphire!" Serena yelled and ran over to him. She sat his head on her lap and patted his face. "Sapphire? Are you all right? Please say something!"

"I hate stairs," he muttered.

Serena looked up at the others. "Help me get him in the apartment."

"Right!" They all said. Jasmine went to unlock the apartment. Lia and Serena helped Sapphire into the apartment and laid him on the couch. Jasmine and Miko got the bags and carried them in. Serena ran to get a cold compress for his head.

"Sapphire? Are you alright?"

"Ugh," he said reaching up and holding the cold compress on his head. He sat up slowly. "From now on you all carry your own bags." They all laughed.

"Speaking of bags, I think we have two passengers that we need to let out," Serena said.

Jasmine opened her purse and Rio and Pasha jumped out. A light surrounded them and they were back to their normal size.

"That is it I am officially never traveling in a purse with that cat again!" Pasha said cleaning off her face with her paw.

"What did he do?" Serena asked.

"He kept passing gas!"

"That was to keep you from opening your mouth with all the nagging! Nag nag nag, complain complain complain. Sometimes I think that is all you know how to do."

"WHAT! YOU STUPID CATNIP MUCHING ASS!" she screamed.

"Takes one to know one!" He yelled back.

"Enough you two!" Serena snapped. "Now each of you go into one of those rooms and don't come out until you are ready to apologize to one another. If you can't act civilly to one another then stay by yourselves." The cats stalked off into separate rooms.

"Nice going Serena!" Miko said.

"Oh my God! Oh my God!" Serena said panicking.

"What is it?" Sapphire asked.

"I sounded like my mother! That can't be good!" Everyone fell over at that comment.

---------------

"Are things completed for our Tokyo mission Riden?" Gamma asked the young man at the computer terminal.

"Yes, everything is ready. Targets have been identified."

"Who's the first target for the potential Sailor Meteor?"

"A Shinto priestess, her name is Rei Hino."

"Very well," he said. I will send Callisto out to get her."

"Yes, sir."

Gamma disappeared.

Callisto popped some pills into her mouth. "What in the hell is wrong with me? I can't stop thinking about my encounter with the scouts, she said to herself.

"Why hello lover," Gamma said.

She spun on her heels and shot him a glare that could strip paint. "I thought we agreed that you wouldn't pop in like that," she snapped.

"Now, why don't you want me popping in?"

"I could be dressing," she replied. He disappeared and appeared in front of her. He took her chin and lowered his lips very close to hers.

"What does it matter? I've seen everything before."

She growled and moved away from him. She stroked her fingers through her long black hair. "What do you want?"

"You are being very difficult today. I thought I warned you about this type of behavior."

"Are you my father now? If I die from my actions then at least they are my actions."

"Don't talk like that," he replied.

"Why not? Was it not that long ago that you threatened me?"

"I didn't threaten you, I warned you."

"Your warning was heard. I don't need a repeat performance."

"You damned woman!"

"Yes, now you wanted something?"  
"You have a mission. We have found someone that is sutible to be Sailor Meteor. You must go test her and if she is then retrieve her. You are permitted to use any means necessary short of killing her."

"And if she isn't Sailor Meteor?"

"Then kill her."


	18. First Casualties

_**Footprints In The Snow**_

**Author: MoonStarDutchess**

**Chapter 18: First Casualties**

**Rating: T**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. **

**AN: Hope you enjoy this. Please review. **

_**First Casualties**_

_**The next morning. . .**_

"What are you working on Sapphire?" Serena asked with a yawn. She was in her pink pajamas having only woken up around five minutes ago. She sat down in the floor beside her boyfriend. He was currently typing on his laptop.

"I am doing homework," he replied.

"Homework?"

He turned to Serena with a stern look.

"Don't tell me you forgot about the homework for English," he replied.

Her face looked blank and he frowned.

"Ok I won't tell you," she said finally. He fell over then sat straight back up.

"Serena, you are doing great in English, don't mess it up."

"Alright, alright! I'll do it," she said with a pout. He nodded and went back to typing. "Later," she mumbled and looked around the room. Sapphire grinned at his girlfriend's skill of procrastination. They still had a while before school started back and he wanted to spend time with her. He made his decision and closed the laptop.

"Let's go out for a while," he said. A huge smile graced Serena's face.

"Let me get ready!" she said running to the room that she shared with Jasmine.

Since Sapphire was the only guy, he got a room to himself while the girls bunked up two to a room. Of course Serena snuck into his room. He stood, stretched, and went into his room to change out of his pajamas as well.

Serena grabbed his arm as they left the apartment building. He smiled down at her. He wasn't used to the affection being shown to him. Even when he dated Prisma, there was no affection like this. He was growing to like it. They walked across the street and down the sidewalk. Serena spotted a pet shop and let go of Sapphire's arm. She ran to the window. A bunch of furry puppies ran to the window as Serena looked inside. He smiled and walked over to the window as well.

"They are so cute. When I get older I want a bunch of dogs for my children."

"Really, why is that?"

She turned to him with a matter of fact look on her face. "All children should have pets, especially dogs and they should have a yard to play in and live in a house. And of course the city is out of the question."

Sapphire took her hand and they continue walking down the sidewalk.

"Why is the city out of the question?"

"It's too crowded. I want a nice place in the country that has plenty of room. My aunt lives in the country in America. She has a lovely place."

"You want to live in America too?"

"Yes, I love it." She blushed, "Is that silly?"

"No, it think it is great," he replied, "What else do you want?"

She talked about what she wanted for a house and other things. He smiled at the descriptions that Serena gave him. He found himself thinking about how a life like that with her would be.

They talked as they walked to the park. She was surprised to find out that Sapphire wanted to be an architect and that he loved to dance. They found a bench and sat down.

_I've never experienced anything like this. _Sapphire thought, he sat back on the bench and looked out over the lake. The reflection of the sun in the lake reflected beautifully.

"To think at one time I was going to have a hand in destroying this planet makes me sick."

Serena looked up at him, leaned back, and leaned into him.

"You are helping to save the world now."

"I know," he replied.

"You know that if you want to talk about it I am here," she said.

He nodded and it growled quite around them. "Thank you Serena," he said suddenly.

"For what?" she asked.

"Everything," he said. "I am not ready to talk about my time planning to take over this place but when I am you will be the one I turn to."

She smiled and kissed his cheek. "I will always be here for you to tell," she said.

Rei was sweeping the steps at the temple when she felt an ominous presence. She ran back up the stone steps as fast as she could. She gasped when she saw a woman with long black hair and wearing a black dress sitting on the roof of the temple.

"You sensed me faster than I thought that you would."

"Who are you! Where'd you come from!" she screamed.

"My name is Callisto, as for where I am from, that's nothing you should be concerned with." She jumped to land in front of Rei. Her eyes flashed and Rei couldn't move. She grabbed Rei's chin.

"You certainly don't seem like a Sailor Scout," she said.

"How... how did you know?"

"So you are! Ha! First try!" she flew up into the air. Rei found herself to have the ability to move. She lifted her wrists and called the other scouts.

"Scouts emergency here at the temple." She then took out her wand and said, "MARS STAR POWER!" Rei transformed and used her flame attack. The woman dodged it and flew down to land on the temple once again.

"You aren't Sailor Meteor! This is horrid. Oh well, I'll just have to kill you then." She raised her hands and shot several beams of fire down upon Mars. Mars barely managed to dodge them. Right when one was about to hit her, a voice yelled, "Neptune Deep Submerge!" the beam was redirected into the trees. All the scouts ran to Mars.

"Are you alright Mars?" Jupiter asked.

"Yea, this girl said something about a Sailor Meteor," she replied.

"We'll talk about that later. For now we need to fight!" Uranus said.

"Right!" they all said.

"There's more of you! How bothersome. She held out her hand, a huge gust of wind knocked them backward, and they fell onto the ground. When she started to do it again, a rose hit her hand. She looked up to see someone in a tuxedo.

"This just keeps getting better and better," she said.

"Your beams are not welcome here!" He jumped in with the scouts who are now on their feet.

Callisto looked confused, "You really are stupid, and the other guy with Sailor Moon wasn't as corny as you are. Now I know if she dumped you she had a good reason for it. She flew into the air and moved her hands down toward them. Blades of ice fly in their direction.

"DIE!" she screamed! The scouts dodged them frantically, one of the blades hit a gas tank nearby and it bursts into flames.

Serena and Sapphire heard an explosion while they are on the way back to the apartment. They looked upon the hill and saw a huge fireball.

"That's Rei's temple! We have to go see what is going on!" Serena said. She spoke into her communicator.

"Lia, Jasmine, Miko, we have a situation!" she said.

"We will be there, we will track you with our communicator, don't wait on us!" Miko said.

"Right," she said.

"Let's transform!" Serena said to Sapphire. He nodded to her.

Another beam was directed at the scouts and was about to finish them off.

"Shadow Beam Strike!" a voice yelled, another voice yelled right after that, "Moon Tiara Slicer!" They both hit the beam and launch it back at Callisto. She dodged it and it flew out of site.

"You again!" she exclaimed.

"It's Sailor Moon!" Jupiter said in shock. Darien couldn't take his eyes off of her, he was in shock at the fact she was back.

"I am Sailor Moon and I fight to protect this planet to preserve our futures. I won't let you destroy what we are working so hard in building. In the name of the Moon I will destroy you!" Sapphire just stood there with his sword drawn. She turned to him. "This just isn't working."

"What isn't working?"

"You just standing there not saying anything," she replied.

"Oh, alright, I'll think of something later, he said.

"Good," she said.

"You won't have a later!" Callisto screamed and shot a blast of fire at them. They jumped out of its way.

"Quick, while she's distracted we will attack," Mars said.

"Right!" They all said but before they make a move, another attack came flying in.

"SUN LAVA! BLAST!"

Callisto managed yet another dodge. "Not more! This place is a regular sailor scout breeding ground!"  
"We are the fighters of justice, keepers of peace! You have broken that peace now you will pay!" Sun, Comet, and Star said.

"Needs work," Moon yelled.

"We know, it was a last minute thing," Star giggled.

"Excuse me! Evil chick up there!" Mars yelled.

"Oh, yeah!" Star said.

"Remind me to kick that girl's ass after this fight," Sun said referring to Mars.

"Star Daggers!" Star yelled launching her attack. One managed to slice a small cut into Callisto's cheek, and blood dripped down it. She reached up and wiped the blood from her face. Upon seeing the red liquid, her blood seemed to boil.

"YOU LITTLE BITCH! NOW ALL OF YOU WILL PAY!" she screamed. Her eyes glowed a deep red and a red haze covered her body. She called up a huge red sphere of power in front of her. Suddenly a man appeared behind her and grabbed her.

"You can't kill them yet Callisto!"

"Gamma! Let go!" she yelled and struggled in his arms. Slowly the haze faded and her eyes went back to their normal purple color.

"Shhhhh love, we will get even eventually." He licked the blood off her cheek. Thinking that they are off guard, Mars launched an attack.

"MARS NO!" Lia yelled.

"Mars flame shooter!" she yelled. It hit some sort of shield that they had over them and headed back to Mars.

"You will pay for that you little bitch!" Gamma yelled. He threw the sphere still there from when Callisto conjured it. It hit the fire directed at Mars and redirected toward the temple. The temple exploded knocking all of the scouts off their feet. Mars got upon her hands and knees with tears running down her face. She let out a bloodcurdling scream.

"That should do it for now," Gamma said. He and Callisto disappeared. Mars started to go toward the temple but Sailor Moon stopped her.

"Move! Chad and Grandpa are still in there!" she screamed.

"It's too late Mars, I'm sorry," she said.

"No, they can't be . . . no. . ." she fainted and fell backward. Jupiter caught her before she hit the ground.

"Take care of her," Sailor Moon said and turned her back to them

"Is that it? Don't you think you own us an explanation," Venus said.

She turned her head slightly, "Worry about Mars for now. Neptune, where can I find Pluto?"

"She's working in the art gallery downtown," she answered.

"Thank you," she said and walked over to Sapphire and the others. Tears were streaming down Sailor Moon's cheeks as well.

"Let's go," she said to them and they walked away from the other scouts.


	19. Stand Down

**Footprints In The Snow**

**Author: MoonStarDutchess**

**Chapter 19: Stand Down**

**Rating: T**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. **

**AN: Hope you enjoy this. Please review. **

**Stand Down! **

Ami laid a cold compress on Rei's head. They all gathered back at Darien's apartment after the battle. It was the only place roomy enough to accommodate all of them. Darien walked inside the room.

"The police and arson investigators are ruling it as a gas explosion, but they want to speak to Rei as soon as she is feeling better."

"But why! She didn't do anything wrong," Mina said.

"It's standard protocol," Amy said, "for the records. They have to say that an interview with the survivor was conducted. " Darien sat down on the couch across from where Rei was lying and the other girls were sitting on the floor.

"Figures, stupid people and their records. That seems to be all that they care about," Jupiter said.

The room grew quite and everyone looked at Darien. He looked up when he noticed that he currently had the stage, so to speak. "What?" he asked.

"Are you alright?" Michelle asked.

"Yes, why wouldn't I be?" he replied.

"We thought that with Serena being back, you were probably dealing with a lot of emotions right now. We are your friends if you need to talk," Lita said.

He grins and nodded, "I am fine. I am just glad that she is ok."

"You sure?" Mina asked.

"Yes, I am sure Mina. I thank you all for your concern though."

Then Rei interrupted the conversation with a groan. She slowly opened her eyes and sat up.

"Rei, are you alright? You shouldn't sit up Rei!" Ami protested.

"I'm fine." She turned so that she was sitting normally on the couch.

"Where's Meatball Head?" she asked. Everyone grinned at the fact Rei has the strength to use Serena's nickname.

"She's not here Rei," Lita said.

"Why?" she asked. Before anyone can respond, there was a knock on the door. Darien got up from his spot on the couch to answer it.

"Can I help you?" he asked the three unfamiliar girls standing in front of his door.

"You are Tuxedo mask and the other scouts right?"

"Who are you?" Amara growled.

"Chill out lady, damn you are uptight," Miko said, "My name is Miko aka Sailor Sun."

"Oh! Come in," Darien said. He let the three girls inside.

"Serena asked us to check on Rei for her. I'm Lia or Comet by the way."

"And I am Jasmine! Sailor Star!" she said with a wink and a peace sign.

"Where's Serena?" Lita asked.

"She and Sapphire are off talking to someone important who may be able to offer new information on a new enemy," Lia said.

"Tell us what you know," Amara insisted.

"Man, you are impatient!" Miko snapped. Amara growled but was ignored by Miko.

"All we know for now is that they are called the Dark Star Clan and they are from the Dark Wave Galaxy. Then we know the names of the two we saw today. Gamma and Callisto." Lia said.

"They won't kill us yet so we assume that they want to keep us alive for some reason. We are valuable to them," Jasmine said.

"They didn't know we existed either," Rei said. Everyone looked at her as she continues. "She seemed incredibly surprised to find I was Sailor Mars. She seemed to be after a Sailor Meteor. That's who she thought I was. Do you know her?"

"No, that is why we are in Tokyo. Once we find Meteor we plan on going back to Kyoto," Miko said.

"So what are we going to do?" Mina said.

"There's no you involved," Miko said.

"Miko! Serena said to ask nicely first!" Lia said.

"Ask what?" Amy said.

"For all of you to stay out of this fight, avoid it the best that you are able. It looks like it is going to get really ugly and they only seem to want our group of Sailors. Serena has asked us to ask you not to transform unless it's absolutely necessary."

"No," Rei said. They looked at her in shock.

"Excuse me?" Miko questioned.

"You heard me. I don't know about the others but those monsters killed my grandpa and Chad. I won't let them get away with it. There's no way in hell I am going to back down!"

"I agree with Rei," Lita said.

"I do as well," Amy replied.

"If that is your decision then stay out of our way." They look to the balcony and there stood, Sailor Moon, Sapphire, and Sailor Pluto." They walk inside and detransformed.

"Trista, what are you doing here?" Amara asked.

"Sailor Moon asked for my help," she simply replied.

"You think that you are better than us now Serena? You're so high and mighty since you broke up with Darien?" Rei said.

"Rei!" Darien scolded, he looked at Serena.

"We have reasons why we won't back down. More than the obvious ones," he said.

"To help Rei with her revenge? Very noble." Serena replied. Darien was shocked at the tone she used. Serena didn't seem to be the average happy go lucky Serena.

"No, this is our planet too. It's our job to protect it as well," he said. He could help but add, "I am the king of it after all." He was a bit bitter at her even if he did want to be friends.

Serena caught the barb but chose to ignore it. "It seems to me, revenge has more to do with it," Serena replied.

"You would do it to if you were in my place!" Rei yelled at her.

"I may seem stupid Rei but I am not. I admit that, yes, I would think about the same things that are going through your head right now. You know what though Rei, I would then realize that it would be better if the ones who could handle it better did it, instead of myself. Getting yourself killed and risking the world's, no the universe's, existence isn't what they would have wanted!" she said.

"What do you know? You're just a meatball head!"

Serena frowned. Her anger was building up. She love Chad and Rei's grandpa and she was mourning as well. It got so angry that she yelled, "WAKE UP! That enemy threw you around as if you were a fucking rag doll! Do you think you could handle something stronger than that?"

Everyone in the room was stunned into silence at the regal tone and the volume in which Serena spoke. Sapphire rested his hand on her lower back to show his support to her. She lowered her voice for her next lines. "Listen Rei, we are the ones that have to fight this. I can just sense it."

"Since when have you been able to sense anything other than food? How can you be sure they are right?" Rei questioned.

"Since now, and I just know they are right. Stay out of our way Rei. That goes for the rest of you as well." she replied.

Rei stood with a bitter look in her eyes. She never thought that she would feel hate toward Serena the way she was now. "What if we don't?"

"I'll take your powers," she replied. Rei growled and without realizing what she was doing she slapped Serena. The others in the room gasped.

Sapphire tensed and Serena grabbed his hand.

"You want one too!" Rei yelled. Before she can hit Sapphire, Darien grabbed her wrist.

"Enough Rei," he said.

"But grandpa . . . and. . . Chad . . . and. . . ." She fell to her knees. Serena was going to kneel with her but thought better of it. Mina hugged her and Rei looked up at her with tears in her eyes. She began sobbing uncontrollably.

Serena wouldn't offer words of false comfort because no words could comfort Rei at this time so she just let her cry. She looked at Miko, Trista, Jasmine, and Lia and nodded. They left the apartment. She then looked at the scouts that she was fighting with and said, "I am sorry." Sapphire wrapped his arm around her waist and they left.

"You handled that well back there with Rei," Sapphire said while walking with Serena back to the apartment. They stopped in the hall.

"Thank you. The words just started coming out like someone had control of me. I just don't understand it. Not even six months ago I would be crying like a baby after someone slapped me or said to me the things that Rei did."

Darien was walking down the hall on his way to the elevator when he heard Serena and Sapphire talking in the hallway. He stopped at a corner.

"It was hard for you wasn't it?" he said.

"Yes, I wish I could have said something more to help her but I realized I couldn't. There was nothing I could do. I felt so helpless but at the same time I knew I had to remain strong," she said.

"You are growing up more and more. That's what happens," he said.

She looked at him from the corner of her eyes. "Oh, and you act like you are so much more grown up than I am. You aren't that much older than me! Especially after next Wednesday.'

"Wednesday?"

"My eighteenth birthday!" she beamed.

"Oh! I had no clue," he said.

"WHAT! You forgot! How could my boyfriend forget my birthday! I can't believe you!" She continued to berate Sapphire.

_Boyfriend? _Darien thought. He was surprised to say the least. He was also a bit hurt that she had moved on. He had a feeling that they were dating from the way Sapphire acted at his apartment. Still, even though he knew she would move on it still hurt. He peaked around the corner.

"Calm down Serena, you never told me when your birthday was. How was I supposed to know? I'm not clairvoyant Serena." She looked at him confused, he chuckled and decided to elaborate. "It means psychic."

"Oh," she said and looked down at the ground. "I'm sorry."

He chuckled again, "For what?"

"Both things."

"Both?"

"For the birthday thing and being dumb," she said.

"Dumb? Serena, you are far from dumb. Just because you didn't know what clairvoyant meant doesn't make you dumb."

"But, you could have a much smarter girl," she said lowly. He lifted up her chin so that she was looking at him.

"I have no interest in any other girl except you," he stated and smiled.

"Really?" she asked, the hope evident in her eyes.

He nodded. She lifted her hands to rest on each side of his face and stood on her tip toes to him as he leaned down to kiss her. Their lips met softly then they pull away.

"Let's go out for a shake alright? Then we will decide on a birthday present for you." he said.

"Oh, I have a good idea what you can give me for my birthday," she said in an impish tone.

"We both get something from that though," he replied.

"Then you can give me that and a present," she said.

"Will do love," he said. He kissed her again and they walked to the elevator.

When they left Darien came out from where he was standing and grinned It had a slight sadness to it yet it was happy. He was happy that Serena found someone to fit her so well. He wished them the best.


	20. Callisto's Punishment

**Footprints In The Snow**

**Author: MoonStarDutchess**

**Chapter 20: Callisto's Punishment**

**Rating: T**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. **

**AN: Hope you enjoy this. Please review. **

**Callisto's Punishment and Plea**

"Callisto, why did you have to go crazy like that? You should have killed her when you saw that the girl wasn't meteor."

"I thought you said that we weren't allowed to kill them."

"I meant Sailor Moon and the sailors with her. You were so out of it with rage that you were going to kill them all."

"I was going to kill the Mars one but the others caught me off guard." She admitted. "I didn't know that there were other scouts. No one mentioned anything to me."

"The Elderans won't accept that excuse. They won't go easy on you." He said.

"They never do Gamma," she muttered. They arrive at two very large black doors. The doors are decorated with a very intricate design of people and crystals. She went to open the door but feels Gamma stop her by grabbing her wrist.

"Let me go in your place," he said.

She places her hand over his. "If you did that then both of us would be hurt. I cannot allow you to be punished for my failure. Now you should get back to your duties. I'll be alright."

He nodded and released her wrist. He walked down the hall then out of her sight. _She's always the one that receives the punishment._ He thought as he went back to his duties.

Callisto walked down the dim hallway toward the Elderan's chambers. The hallway was a very ominous place because of not only the lighting, smell, and coldness but because of the echo her heels made as they hit the floor. She made her way to a doorway and walked through the misty haze covering the doorway and spilling its way out into the hall.

A chilling wind blew and piece of crystal flew toward her and cut the ribbon holding her hair up in its style. Her hair fell down and blew back as another strong gust of wind hit her. This time another piece of crystal hit her arm slicing a deep cut. A pain shot up her arm and she looked down at it. The door slammed shut and a black crystal substance glazed over it.

The room lightened enough to reveal four coffin shaped crystals. Callisto steeled herself for the punishment she was about to receive. Each time the punishment was worse.

"You've failed us again Callisto," a group of voices said in unison. It was a mix of both male and female voices.

"Elderans, I can. . ."  
"Silence! We will not accept your excuses!"

A crystal embedded in her shoulder, and she bit back a scream. She dared not reach for her shoulder; she knew they would see it as a rebellious act against them.

Then wind blew her roughly into a pile of crystals. They shattered cutting her all over her body. She bit her lip in pain causing it to bleed. She still didn't scream out. She felt herself being lifted into the air.

"We are overly lenient with you Callisto." A crystal slowly moved up to her and smashes into the cut of her shoulder shattering the one already in it to pieces. The pieces went all through her shoulder. The new crystal moved down to cut her stomach very slowly.

They keep her there for a few moments but it felt like hours for her. She then dropped to the floor with a sickening thud. The impact finally caused her to scream in pain.

"Have you learned your lesson Callisto?"

"Yes," she said through her pain.

"Good, we are going to let Eon handle the next mission. You will be called on again. When you are, do not fail us or we may punish Gamma in your place."

"I won't fail you again," she said.

Then she disappeared from the room. She found herself on the floor in her bedroom. She slowly lifted her head and through her hazy vision, she saw her bed. Too weak to crawl to it, she lost consciousness there in the floor.

Serena, Sapphire, Jasmine, Miko, Lia, and Trista were all sitting in a café.

"Have you found anything about the Dark Star Clan or the Dark Wave Galaxy?" Serena asked.

"Yes, there's not much information on them. Since it happened in the past, I am able to tell the story that I went and saw. The Dark Star Clan was a branch off of a group of sorcerers," Trista began.

"Sorcerers?" Serena asked confused.

"Yes, your mother welcomed sorcerers to her kingdom long ago. According to the timeline you were around five or six years old. The Dark Star Clan worked for your mother but she discovered them using occult methods to gain wealth. She gave them a warning at first then when a girl was killed because of their methods, she and a five of her most powerful sorcerers sealed them within dark crystals as a punishment and used part of their souls to make sure they stayed within the crystals. The crystals were sent to another galaxy, as the years carried on a dark energy waves could be detected from the galaxy. Thus, the name Dark Wave Galaxy."

"What happened to the sorceresses?" Jasmine asked.

"They all died because they used so much of their energy to seal the crystals. Even Queen Serenity almost died."

"So why do they want us? I mean, we are just sailor scouts," Miko asked.

"They don't need a reason from what I've seen. They are just greedy. You do need to find Sailor Meteor. If they want her then there must be a reason," Trista said.

"We will get rested up and begin tomorrow," Serena said. She turned to Trista, "Thank you for your help. I know I've asked you for so much but I need something else."

"I'd be happy to help if I can," she replied.

"Could you try and keep the other scouts from getting involved? If they get involved in anything you think may be related to this, could you tell me?"

"I will do my best," she said.

------------------

Callisto opened her eyes slowly and let then readjust to the light.

"Are you alright?" a man asked. She then realized that she was lying in a bed. She sat up and nearly fell back. She felt a hand behind her back keeping her from doing so.

"You alright?" a voice said. She turned her head to see Riden. She looked down and was all bandaged up.

"Thank you," she said. Riden propped a pillow up behind her so she could lean back in a sitting position.

"They really did a number on you this time Calli," he said. Callisto smiled at him.

"You still call me Calli," she stated.

"You will always be Calli for all eternity," he replied.

Callisto's smile faltered, "Not eternity unless capture the scouts."

"You should get you some sleep. You won't have another mission for a while yet. Eon's got the next one."

She slid back down in her bed and started to speak something but a yawn interrupted her. She fell asleep without another word.

"Why don't you just give this life up Calli," Riden muttered. He stood and left the room.

Gamma was trying to concentrate on his work. All that he could think of was Callisto and what she was going through.

"You are worried about her. You and your sick love," a blond man said. He was wearing the same black uniform type suit as Gamma. He was currently floating upside down.

"Shut up Aero," Gamma snapped.

"Temper temper! I was just teasing." He disappeared and reappeared in the chair across from Gamma.

"We all have our reasons for helping the Elderans. It's just that yours is so damned stick sweet."

"And yours isn't?"

"No! Mine is romantic," he said and a glass of wine appears in his hand.

"There's a difference?"

"Yes, you have your soul mate for all eternity, providing we capture those scouts. I have lived this long only to find mine!"

"Yes, real romantic," he said. It grew quite between them.

"I see the tension is brewing," another man with brown hair walked in with a blue haired man, who seemed to be the youngest.

"No tension, just the discussion of romance." Aero and walked over to the youngest of the group and rubbed his head.

"What do you think kid?"

"I am not a kid," he replied.

"You are sixteen, to us you are a kid," the brown hair man said with a smirk.

"I asked your opinion Rolan," Aero said and put the young man in a headlock.

"I don't know!" he said, "Let go of me!" He elbowed Aero in the side and grabbed his arm. He flipped him over into the floor. The room grew silent then laughter filled it.

"Riden, taught you that," Aero said.

"Yes," Riden said walking in. "I got tired of you putting him in headlocks. You were making too many advances at my brother."

"HAHA!" Aero laughed then realized what Riden meant. "Hey! I am not gay!" Aero exclaimed.

"I never said you were," Riden said calmly walking into the other room.

"No but you implied it!" he yelled.

Riden walked back out of the room. "Eon, you have the next mission. Come see me in the morning. Gamma, Callisto was finished with the Elderans. I saw her walking to her room." He handed Eon a crystal and left.  
"He's acting weird," Eon said.

"How can you tell?" Gamma replied.

"I've know him for years before we started working for the Elderans. I bet Callisto has noticed it as well. I am going to have to ask her."

Gamma frowned. Eon, Riden, Rolan, and Callisto all knew each other before everything happened with the Elderans. He had to admit that he was a bit jealous of that fact, but it really didn't matter. Callisto was his love and he was the reason she was here. Nothing would change that fact.

-----------

Callisto stirred in her sleep when she heard a knock at her bedroom door. She slowly sat up and looked down at her stomach and arms. They were bandaged well. Then she remembered talking to Riden for a brief moment before falling asleep. She heard the knock again and scooted back so that she was in the darkened portion of her bed.

"Who is it!" she yelled.

"It's Gamma, who else would be coming here?" he asked.

"Just a second!" she said. She slowly slid out of her bed and dressed in a long sleeved black dress to cover her bandages. She sat at her dresser.

"Come in," she said. Gamma opened the door and smiled slightly at her. He walked over to her seated form.

"You alright?"

"Yes, I am fine. Just received a smack on the hand really."

He started to touch her shoulder but she managed to find a reason to shy away. The thought of him touching her was starting to make her cringe. She pushed the reason why to the back of her mind.

"I think I am getting fat," she said and walked briskly to her mirror, biting back a tremor of pain. Gamma rolled his eyes at his lover. She was a perfect size but she always thought she was getting fat.

"You are not fat lover," he said.

"But this dress seems so tight!" she replied.

"That dress has always fit tight."

She placed her hands on her hips. Are you saying I've always been fat?" she snapped.

"NO! I just meant. . . " he stuttered.

"WHAT!"

"UM. . .I should go. . ." he stuttered and left the room briskly closing the door behind him. Callisto quickly grabbed a chair and sat down.

"Damn, that was tougher than usual. I shouldn't stand like that again for a while."

She looked at the door and tears started to come from her eyes.

"I just want out," she said to the empty room.


	21. Eon

_**ootprints In The Snow**_

**Author: MoonStarDutchess**

**Chapter 21: Eon**

**Rating: T**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. **

**AN: Hope you enjoy this. Please review. I hope I got all the tenses fixed. **

**Eon**

"Yo, Riden I'm here to get my assignment," Eon said walking into the command room.

"Yes, I figured that was the reason Eon," Riden snapped.

"What's wrong with you today?" he said. He was a bit shocked at his friends tone.

"It's nothing, I'm sorry," he said.

Eon patted him on the back. "No problem, now on to my mission. Where is my target?"

"It's the Lily art gallery downtown. Your target is this woman." A woman with reddish eyes and long black hair wearing a purple suit appeared on the holographic screen.

"Name?" Eon asked.

"Trista Meioh"

"Alright then, I am off," he started to walk out.

"Be sure not to fail. I have seen the punishment that the Elderans dish out."

"You're the one that's been taking care of Callisto?"

"Yes," he said.

"Gamma isn't going to be happy if he hears that," Eon said.

"He's just going to have to deal with it. I am not going to let her lay bleeding there and she doesn't want him to see her like that so I do it."

"I see, if you ever need any help let me know alright?"

"I will, thanks Eon. Now go capture Sailor Meteor. If she's not her then kill her."

"I got ya Captain" he did a mock salute and walked out. Riden rolled his eyes, "Same old' Eon."

----

"So this is the place," he said aloud to no one in particular. He started to enter the gallery when a woman came running out.

"Thanks Trista, I'll tell the others to stop by! The paintings are beautiful!" she yelled.

She wasn't watching where she was going and ran right into him, knocking them both to the ground. She landed on top of him.

"I am so sorry," she said and smiled lightly. She stared into his gorgeous brown eyes. _Wow, this is a nice person to bump into. _She gathered her wits then quickly got off him. She looked around at the papers she was carrying, they were scattered across the sidewalk.

"Oh no!" She quickly began to pick them up. He sat up and started to help her pick up the pages. They both reached for the last paper and their hands touched. A shock of electricity seemed to hit them both. They looked at each other and the girl blushed. He moved his hand so she could get the paper. They stood up straight and he handed her the papers he retrieved for her.

"Thank you and once again, I am sorry for bumping into you like that. I really wasn't paying attention," she said.

"No, it's alright. Neither was I to be honest, but I must say that I am not sorry that I bumped into such a beautiful young woman. May I ask your name?"

"It's Lia," she said.

"It's nice to meet you Lia, I am E. . .than. Ethan" he looked at a mannequin in a suit with a bright red tie around his neck. "Tie. . . neck. My name is Ethan Tieneck

"Nice to meet you too." She heard the clock in the city go off. "I am sorry to run like this but I really must be going." She started to turn away.

"Wait, could I perhaps get your phone number. To make it up to you for crashing into you? Maybe dinner?"

She blinked, "Excuse me?"

"Dinner, I'd like to take you to dinner." _EON! WHAT ARE YOU DOING! h_e thought.

"_Ok, let me get this straight. This impossibly gorgeous man is asking me to dinner. There is no way that I could say no. I mean Serena would kill me and if she didn't the other girls would."_

She took out a pen and quickly wrote her name and number on the corner of a piece of paper. She ripped it off and handed it to him.

"I would love to go to dinner with you. Call me anytime. I have to go now! Bye!" she ran down the sidewalk.

He grinned, now he had a date with a beautiful woman to look forward to as well as, hopefully, finding Meteor. He put his hands in his pockets and walked into the gallery. His target was talking to an older couple. By the looks of their clothes, they looked to be very wealthy. She shook their hands and motioned for two men to take down the painting. Another one was put in its place.

He walked over to a painting and examined it. It was a beautiful landscape. He inwardly scoffs at it. _There's no way that a place that beautiful exists anywhere._

"Can I help you sir?"

He turned to see his target smiling brightly.

"I was just looking."

She walked up beside him and looked at the painting herself. "It's beautiful isn't it? This artist sells well. He is a local man that made it famous with his landscapes. This one is called _Dreams of the Countryside_.

"Yes, it would be. It's not possible for a place like this to truly exist anywhere," he said.

"Do you really believe that sir?"

"Trust me; I've lived long enough to know for sure." He noticed that there was no one but them left in the gallery. "Emptied quick," he stated.

"Yes, this is the slow hour," she replied.

"Good, this will make my job easier," he said. He powered up and she went flying into a desk. The curtains of the windows shut. She looked up at him and blood was running down her face.

"Who the hell are you!" she said.

"Your nightmare Trista Meioh," he replied.

"Oh my God that is so cliché!"

Eon and Trista looked to the door and there stood the Sailor Scouts and Sapphire.

"Not you guys again, why can't you butt out!" he said.

"We are the Sailor Scouts and . . . "Before they can finish Eon attacked them. He hit the ground and waves of energy flew up from the floor, knocking them back into the windows. If they hadn't been reinforced they would have went through the windows and cut to pieces.

"OH NO!" Trista yelled. Her wand appeared before her and shines brightly. A purple beam surrounded it and flashed. Her wand now has wings.

"Say, Sailor Pluto Cosmic Power!" Sailor Moon yelled.

"SAILOR PLUTO COSMIC POWER!" Sailor Pluto transformed. The bow of her uniform was now longer and her staff now had small wings protruding from the red orbs. She twirled her staff around several times while saying, "Pluto Death Waves!" she hit the staff on the ground and waves very similar to Eons hit him. He was knocked back against the wall but quickly recovered; he launched another attack of his own.

The other scouts head for Pluto. "Moon Dark Shield!" Sapphire put up his hands in from of him and a shield appeared reflecting the attack right back at Eon. Sun jumped out of the shield.

"Sun lava blast!" Eon was distracted because he was defending himself from his own attack that was reflected back at him. Sun's attack hit him and he fell to the ground. He slowly got up onto his knees. He had horrible burns on his arms.

"Give up!" Pluto said.

"I . . . This . . . This can't be it! I can't loose!" he yelled. Dark power swirled around him. "If I am going to be defeated then I am taking all of you with me!"

Flashes of images flash thought Comet's head. They are of Eon and her together. She looked at him in shock.

"Don't!" she screamed and ran to him she grabbed him and hugged him.

"Comet, are you crazy!" Sun yelled.

She doesn't listen to Sun. "Please don't! You don't have to kill yourself. We can help you!"

Eon grunted through the pain and spoke, "Why would you want to help me?" The power builds up around them covering them from out of sight.

"COMET!" Jasmine yelled she turned to Sailor Moon in horror. "We have to do something!"

"Have faith in Comet. I recognized that look she was giving him. She will be fine," Sailor Moon said confidently.

"If you say so," Jasmine said but the worried look remained on her face.

"The reason I want to help you is because that is what a Sailor Scout does. They help people! Please stop! I don't want you to die!" tears were streaming down her face.

"Why! I am your enemy! You should want me to die!"

Comet didn't know why the next sentence left her lips but it felt so right when it did.

"Because I love you! It would break my heart!"

Eon's eyes widened and mental flashes began in his head. It was of him and the beautiful Sailor with him. He looked at her and touched her face. He wiped the tears streaming from her eyes. He brought his lips to hers and kissed her. They pull away and the power slowly dissipated. The two were then viewable to the other scouts. The power then faded away completely and he collapsed in her arms. The scouts ran to her.

"That was fucking crazy!" Sun scolded.

"I know, but I just couldn't help it." Comet stroked Eon's hair. Comet looked to Sailor Moon, "Can you get the dark energy out of him?"

Sailor Moon nodded. A gold orb appeared in front of her. It extended into a staff. She twirled it above her head then brought it straight in front of her. She twirled it in front of her quickly.

"Moon Healing Staff, Refresh!" several beams of light came from the twirling staff and hit Eon. He didn't stir and Comet looked terrified.

"Don't worry, he will be out for a while but he'll be fine. Now, let's get him back to the apartment," Sailor Moon said.

A few hours later. . .

"Is he awake yet?" Serena asked. She walked into the room and sat down in a chair beside Lia. She shook her head in worry.

"I am sorry," Lia said suddenly.

"What for?"

"My actions in battle, I helped the enemy." This caused Serena to chuckle

"Listen Lia, you said it best yourself. The job of a scout is to help people. You did that so don't apologize. As for him being an enemy, I don't think he was very evil. If I'd had any doubts I wouldn't have healed him."

Before Lia can say something back, a voice sounded catching Serena and Lia by surprise.

"Where am I?" Eon asked.

"You are in our apartment. Sailor Moon healed your body of the dark waves you were emitting."  
He tried to sit up and Lia stopped him, gently easing him back against the pillows.

"Eon, you should stay down. You are still weak. You haven't regained all of your energy."

Sailor Moon looked at her surprised and Eon voices the exact question Sailor Moon was thinking.

"How do you know my real name?"

Lia looked as puzzled as they did.

"I don't know," she replied.

"What do you mean they destroyed him?" Aero yelled.

"The last trace of his power was in the gallery," Riden replied as he typed at a huge crystal computer-like machine.

Callisto walked over to Riden and placed a hand on his shoulder. Gamma was surprised at the gesture and a hate ran through him for Riden. His Callisto was touching another man, albeit innocently, he wanted her to stay away from him.

"Can you look at a wider area? Pinpoint a smaller energy signature?"

"I have done both as well as I could. There is no sign of his energy," Riden said and hit the consol with all his might. "Dammit!"

"It can't be helped," Gamma said. They all turned to him. Callisto was shocked at his actions.

"What in the hell do you mean it can't be helped!" Roland yelled.

"Exactly what it means. Eon knew that even though we have our temporary immortality we could be killed. We can only live forever and keep our youth. If we are killed in battle, we die. That is until we get the scouts. After that the Elderans will make it where we will never die no matter what."

"Eon was still our friend," Roland said.

"Shut it boy!" Gamma said. "Now we have to think of ourselves and how to find Meteor so the scouts can't fully gather as a team.

"Watch how you talk to my brother Gamma. The Elderans didn't make you the leader of us."

"Nor did they you," Gamma snapped back at Riden.

"Enough you two! Gamma, what you said was cruel," Callisto said.

"You aren't leader either Callisto," Gamma replied.

"I am sick of this fighting. If you want to act like children then contact me when you become an adult or when I get a mission!" Aero remarked and walked out of the room in a huff. Roland followed.

A group of voices echoed through the place.

"Riden come to us!" they say. Riden stood up. "Looks like the Elderans want to see me."

"Are you done or do I have to stay almighty leader!" Gamma snapped not paying any mind to the Elderans summoning Riden.

"Get the hell out of her Gamma!" Riden yelled.

"You coming Callisto?" Gamma asked. She squeezed Riden shoulder and Gamma held his arm out to her. She brushed by him and he followed her angrily.

"What the hell has gotten into you?" he yelled following her down the hall.

"I never realized that you could be so damned cruel."

"I am not cruel, I am realistic. If he died, he deserved to do so. He would only slow us down in the end."

She stopped and turned around roughly. "What in the hell did you say?" she growled out. Her eyes turned a deep red. Gamma steeled his fear of her that he had at that moment.

"You heard me. To be honest, I don't get why you told them all about the Elderans to begin with. They don't have the skill to be," he didn't get to finish because a punch knocked him to the ground. He looked up in shock at the beautiful woman standing above him in her black figure hugging dress. Her fist now at her side and her eyes burning with rage.

"Go to hell Gamma!" she yelled and stormed off.

* * *

She went to the hall where the bed chambers were. She gasped when she found a heap on the floor. 

"RIDEN!" she yelled and rushed over to him. She lifted him up and held him close to her. Hearing Callisto yell caused Roland to rush out of his room.  
"Brother! What happened?" he asked Callisto.

"Later, let's get him to my room. It is closest."

They gathered him up and took him to her room. Gamma was watching the entire scene.

* * *

_AN: Hope you enjoyed it. Please review!_


	22. Reasons

_**Footprints In The Snow**_

**Author: MoonStarDutchess**

**Chapter 22: Reasons**

**Rating: T**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. **

**AN: Hope you enjoy this. Please review. I hope I got all the tenses fixed. I am sure I missed a few though. **

**Reasons**

Callisto and Roland managed to get Riden to her bed. As they went into her room, Gamma left the hallway in anger. They cleaned and bandaged Riden's wounds. Then they took a seat in some chairs in the room.

"You should go get some sleep Roland. I will sit with Riden."

"I can't do that. He's my brother."

"You should listen to Calli Roland." They looked over at the bed and saw that Riden was awake.

"Brother!" Roland said.

"Go to bed Roland. Please," he said.

"Alright, I just wanted to make sure you were alright," Roland said and left the room shutting the door behind him.

"This hurts," Riden stated.

"Yes, I know," Callisto replied while moving his banes so that she could put a wet cloth on his head. He looked around the room.

"Why am I in your room?"

"Because it was closest. Now save your strength."

Riden ignored her sentence, "Gamma won't be happy."

"He'll just have to deal with it. Now get some rest. You forget that I know first hand what you are feeling like. I know you are tired."

He nodded and slowly fell asleep. Callisto covered him up and walked out of her room and down the hall. Someone grabbed her arm and she was pulled into the room. The door shut and she was looking up into Gamma's face.

"What the hell did you think you were doing back there?" he questions.

"Where?"

"When you helped Riden. If the Elderans found out then. . ."

"First of all Riden helped me all those times after my meetings with the Elderans. Second, he's my friend, and third, if you were spying on us then why didn't you help?"

Gamma doesn't answer.

"Are you that afraid of them? Do you enjoy following every order that they give!"

"You know why we are here. You and I have reasons that are more important. It's so we can live forever."

"Are you happy?" Callisto asked simply.

"That doesn't matter. What does matter is that we will be happy in the long run."

"Yes, following the Elderans for all eternity is going to be a blast."

"Callisto! What has gotten into you?"

"Let's get out of here," she said. "All of us, we can leave, and live and"

"Die Callisto. If we broke our tie with the Elderans we will die eventually."

"So you are so afraid to die that you are willing to live the way we are doing now for all eternity?"

"YES! That is why you and I are here is it not. So we don't ever have to lose each other." He pulled her into his arms and hugs her. "I don't know what I'd do if you died." For some reason Callisto didn't want to hug him back. She knew he meant well but she had been noticing her feelings diminishing for him recently.

She stepped away and stroked his face. Without another word, she walked out. She went back to her room and locked the door. Getting into some nightclothes, she threw her robe on and sat in a chair. She eventually fell asleep herself.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Serena questioned.

"I just know it. During the battle, I saw flashbacks of the two of us. I called him Eon in them. He called me Liannas."

"I'll get Trista to do some research," Serena stood and turned toward the door.

"Wait," Eon said. She turned back around. "Thank you," he said.

Serena smiled, "It's our job to help people."

"Is there anything I can do for you? To help?"

"We need information but it can wait until your feeling better. Will you tell us what we need to know?"

He nodded. "Anything I know."

"Alright then, you just rest up," she said walking out. He looked at Lia with a confused look and she just smiled brightly.

Callisto awakened when she heard her mattress move. She sat up to see that Riden was trying to get out of bed.

"No! You aren't healed yet!" she said and rushed over to him. She kneeled and placed her hands on his bare chest.

"Callisto, I have work to do."

"I . . . I want out of here. Let's get out of here! You, Roland, and I."

"What about Gamma," he asked.

"He refused to leave. He said he can't bear for me to die one day. But I am not living now. I am tired of having to follow the Elderans every whim all of the time. I would rather live my life and die than to live this life forever."

"Callisto."

"Please Riden," she said.

"You love him though; can you just leave him like that?"

"I don't anymore," she said.

Riden's eyes widened, "You don't?"

"No, I can tell," she said. "And if he truly loved me he would listen to me and want me to be happy. "

"You really want to get out of here? You're sure?"

"Yes," she nodded with her answer.

"Alright, we will leave tonight," he said.

"But your injuries!"

"I'll be fine. I'll go back to my room and,"

"No, stay here."

"Callisto, this is your bed and I. . ."

She leaned up and kissed him. When she pulled away, he was surprise and she was smiling.

"I thought so," she said.

"What?" he asked confusedly.

"I love you," she replied to him. "My love for Gamma ended because I fell in love with you. I realized that I never felt as strongly for Gamma as I do for you."

He smiled genuinely.

"I love you too." She sat on the bed and made him get under the covers before she crawled in with him. She cuddled up to him as best as she could without hurting him and they drifted off to sleep.

"Did Trista find out anything?" Lia asked Serena when she and Sapphire walked into the room. Sapphire handed Eon some clothes.

"We seem to be the same size," Sapphire said.

"Thank you," he said.

"Did she?" Lia asked again.

"No, not yet," Serena said. Lia sighed.

"Don't worry, We will find something out," Serena said.

"Let me go change and I will tell you what I know. That is what you want from me isn't it?" Eon said.

"Yes, thank you."

He nodded and went to change a few minutes later they were all in the living room.

"Where do I start?"

"How who you are working for and why you want the scouts." Serena said.

Eon nodded. "We are working for a group called the Elderans. They came to our planet and offered us eternal life if we help them. They want you scouts because you have the power to free them."

"Free them?"

"Yes, they are currently trapped in dark crystals. They need you sailors to free them. We are supposed to capture you and then use your powers to free them. We can't be killed now unless it's in battle or by them. When they were freed, they said they would give us eternal life. No disease could kill us or anything."

"Those must be sorcerers that your mother and the others banished."

"Sorcerers? I don't know but they were banished. They said that they were banished because they were so different and were hated because of it ."

"They were banished because they were hurting people with their magic," she said.

"I figured," Eon replied. "They are pure evil and I have to thank you for helping me escape their grip."

"Are you alright with not being immortal anymore?" Sapphire asked.

Eon nodded, "I'll live this life the best I can."

"Well, you should stay with us. It looks like Lia would be upset if you left," Serena said. Lia blushed beet red when Eon looked over at her. He turned back to Serena.

"Are you sure it's alright? I did try to kill you," he said.

"It's fine," she said.

He turned to Trista, "How about you?" She smiled and nodded.

"It's alright with me."

"How can you all forgive me so easily?"

"Because you are a good guy Eon. We can see that, especially Lia," Serena said again.

"Stop!" she snapped. Everyone laughed and Eon smiled.

"I've never been around this," he said.

"Around what?" Lia asked.

"Smiles, genuine smiles and laughter."

"It takes some getting used to but once you do it's great," Sapphire said, putting an arm around Serena's shoulders. "Well I am sure Lia will make sure you smile and laugh a lot!" Sapphire joked.

"I asked you to stop!" she snapped again.

Everyone laughed again and Eon did as well. She looked over at him and smiled then joined in on the laughter.

They spend the next few hours telling Eon about earth culture and other things. Then they proceed to teach him UNO.

Sapphire and Serena left the room when the game started declining to play and they walked out onto the balcony.

"He looks like he's going to fit in well," Serena said. Sapphire leaned against the railing. Night had begun to set in and the stars were appearing one by one.

"Yes, but of all the things they could teach him they choose UNO," he said, the humor evident in his voice.

"It could be worse," she said going to stand beside him. He directed his gaze at her. "They could be teaching him Monopoly." She said this line so seriously that Sapphire couldn't help but crack out laughing at her. She smiled at hearing him laugh. She loved the sound of it. She was surprised when he picked her up and twirled her around once. When he lowered her to the floor, she hugged him tightly. They broke away and moved to sit on the couch-like patio chair. She cuddled up against him.

"You amaze me," she said suddenly.

"Really? How is that?"

"When you were with the dark moon family, the few times I saw you. You didn't strike me to be the type to smile."

"I see," he said sadly. Serena was afraid that she hurt him, but before she was able to explain he said, "I wasn't really. I saw nothing to smile about. My brother would rarely listen to anything I had to say. Then later on I kept feeling like what we were doing was wrong. Before I could convince my brother wise man... he..." Sapphire clinched his fists looked down. He sees a hand cover his.

"That's the past. You need to make a future here, I am here and always will be if you want, I love you, you know," she said.

He smiled and bent to kiss her before his lips met hers he whispered, "I love you too.

Their lips barely brushed when an explosion occurred. They both leap from the chair and ran to the edge of the balcony. They saw a huge cloud of smoke billow from the mountain outside of the city. The others ran out onto the balcony.

"What the hell was that?" Miko asked.

"Looks like something blew up in the mountains," Jasmine said.

"That something is dark wave power," Eon said. "I'd know it anywhere!"

"We have to go check it out!" Serena said turning around to face everyone.

"We can't leave Eon here!"

"I'll be fine," he said.

"You are injured. If they find you and come after you won't have a chance."

"Lia's right," Serena said.

"Then what do we do?"

"Where's Rio and Pasha?"

"They've been in the time vortex researching," Trista said.

"Can you take Eon there?"

Trista nodded, "I can't keep him there for long."

"Good, then do it. Lia, go with him."

"Yes," she said.

"Ok scouts, let's get moving!" Serena said.

AN: Looks like Serena is growing up huh? I think, as she gets older, it's even evident in the series; she is getting a little more responsible. I mean I still believe she has her quirks and her klutzy moments but hey, don't we all?

Please review.


	23. Sailor Meteor: Found At Last

**Footprints In The Snow**

**Author: MoonStarDutchess**

**Chapter 23: Sailor Meteor: Found At Last**

**Rating: T**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. **

**AN: Hope you enjoy this. Please review. J**

**Sailor Meteor: Found At Last**

"Did you see that explosion!" Rei yelled.

"What was that?" Lita replied.

'Are there any plants or military bases in the mountains?" Mina asked.

"No, there's nothing. That is a protected area because of all the animals," Ami answered.

"Could it be some kind of natural phenomenon?" Amara asked.

"No, I don't think so,' Darien replied.

"We should go check it out," Rei said.

"Right," they all said.

------------------

"Dammit," Riden said as he fired another blast at the ground to engulf Callisto, his brother and himself so they can escape under the cover. Aero was after them.

"You three! I don't want to hurt you. Just come back to base and I won't tell a soul that you tried to leave! You guys don't know what you are in for!" Aero said.

"Don't you ever want to escape from them!" Callisto yelled at him.

"No, I haven't found her yet!" he replied.

"Please let us go, or come with us!" Rolan yelled.

"No! Do you realize what the Elderans would do! We'd share the same fate as Eon! I can't do that! Now are you coming back or not?"

"No," Riden breathed heavily from still being injured.

"Very well, I am sorry you guys," he said. He fired up a blast of wind that turned into blades. Tears streamed out of his eyes, something he considered unbefitting a man but he couldn't bring himself to stop them.

He closed his eyes and let the blast loose. It went barreling toward them.

"Neptune Deep Submerge!" It deflected the attack into the nearby forest.

"What the hell?" Callisto said.

"We are the Sailor Scouts! Champions of Love and Justice!" They all said.

"Why would they help us?" Riden asked.

They all appear in the clearing.

"Oh, it's the weak ones," Rolan said.

All the scouts and tuxedo mask fall to the ground.

"Who are you calling weak!" Mars yelled she then spotted Callisto. "We have an issue to deal with after us scouts take care of him." She motioned toward Aero.

"Like you can take care of me!" he shot blades at the scouts who jumped into the trees. The blades spun back and chopped the trees down. The scouts jumped out of them and Tuxedo threw a rose at him. It was easily repelled.

"Only pansies throw flowers," he stated. He shot a blade at him. He dodged it and dodged it again as it doubled back.

Sailor Moon and the others saw him dodge it as he jumped in the air from tree to tree.

"Is that Tuxedo Mask?" Sun asked.

"Yes, he looks to be having a hard time. I am going to go help him," Sapphire said.

"Be careful Sapphire," Moon said.

"I will, you too." Sapphire jumped into the trees and headed toward Darien and the scouts arrived at the clearing just as Aero attacked the scouts already there. Sun saw an attack heading toward Uranus, who was preoccupied with dodging another blade. Sun jumped on her knocking her to the ground. It sliced through several trees and hit a cliff, dissolving.

"Thank you," Uranus said.

"No problem," Sun replied.

Tuxedo found himself dodging three blades. He is getting tired. One clips his shoulder causing it to bleed profusely.

"Lightening blade sliver slicer!" A sliver blade hit one of the blades after Tuxedo. It sliced it into two smaller blades. Tuxedo threw a rose redirecting them into the cliff. They did the same to the other blades. They landed on trees opposite each other. A wind picked up blowing their capes behind them.

"Thank you for your help," Tuxedo said.

"You are welcome," Sapphire said. There was a awkward pause of between them then Sapphire spoke again, "You know Serena is going to kill all of you for being here right?"  
"Yea," he said with a sweat drop. "But we didn't know that it was the Dark Clan."

"Try telling that to her when she's angry." Sapphire mumbled. "We should get to them. They may need some help."  
"What! There aren't suppose to be this many scouts!" Aero yelled. As Serena's group of scouts gathered with the others.

"Aero, what is going on?" Gamma appeared beside him. He looked down at the people on the ground. Aero and Gamma were standing on a cliff. He spotted Callisto, Riden, and Rolan with the scouts.

"What is going on here? I asked you a question Aero!"

"They tried to escape. To run away," Aero said sadly. He hated to tell on them.

"What!" He looked at Callisto.

"Is this true Callisto? Why would you want to leave me?" he said with an angry yet hurt tone.

Then Riden collapsed. She rushed over to him and held him against her. Rolan rushed to the two of them as well.

"You listened to Riden. He filled your head with lies?"

"What?" she said stunned at the accusations.

"You think this world will accept you all? Did Riden tell you that? Callisto he is a fool."

Gamma raised his hands and a clear ball appeared.

"Aero," Gamma said. He knew what to do. He shot several large blades at the scouts. As they dodge Gamma threw the orb he was holding. It trapped them in a bubble like barrier.

"What the hell is this!" Sun yelled.

"Ami typed profusely on her computer.

"It's some type of barrier. There is no way our powers will penetrate it."

"AH!" Serena screamed and grabbed her head. She fell to her knees.

"Serena!" Sapphire yelled. He rushed to her side and took her into his arms. She clutched his shirt and moved closer against him. "Serena, what's the matter."

"I . . . don't know. My . . .head. . ." tears streamed down her face.

Callisto gasped as she found herself in a barrier as well. Riden and Rolan were on the ground. The barrier flew over behind Gamma.

"Let her go Gamma!" Riden yelled.

"I will do that when hell freezes over. You corrupted her mind against me! You brainwashed her!"

"No he didn't! Gamma I love him!" she screamed. He turned to her in shock.

"What? How could you! You love me, I know you do!"

"You changed Gamma! You are not the one I once loved. I care about you as a friend and that's it."

"NO! He brainwashed you! He will pay."  
Gamma shot fire at him.

"Riden!" Callisto yelled!

Rolan managed to reflect the attack but not without being badly burned on his arm.

"Rolan!" Riden said in shock.

"You protected me all this time. It's about time I do the same."

"Stop it!" Callisto screamed in horror.

Gamma didn't listen. His mind was clouded with jealousy.

He knocked Rolan against a cliff with a ball of energy, knocking him out. He powered up a huge wave of dark energy. Callisto knew that if Riden was hit with that energy that he would die. Riden stood shakily and tried to power up. He was so weak from the Elderans that he fell back to his knees.

_I am sorry Calli_

Serena screamed again.

"What are you doing to her!" Sun yelled at Aero, who was keeping an eye on them.

He looked surprised. "Nothing, I don't know why she's doing that." Sun blinked. For some reason she believed him.

Sapphire pulled Serena closer and suddenly Serena's mind opened up. She saw flashes of Sapphire, Meteor, Riden and herself. Her eyes suddenly opened and she moved to stand. Sapphire helped her up and held her to keep her balanced. She looked up at him.

"I know who Meteor is now. Help me?" she questioned. He just nodded and took her hands. They began to concentrate.

"Stop it!" Callisto yelled. A symbol appeared on her forehead. And light engulfed the barrier she was in. Gamma powered down in shock. The barrier containing Calllisto broke as well as the barrier containing Serena and the scouts. Riden felt his injuries healing and his energy returning. A light engulfed him from his feet and moved up changing his clothes to dark purple armor with a light purple cape. He stood and looked at himself in surprise.

"What is going on?"

All the scouts were on the ground. Serena and Sapphire were still concentrating. A yellow glow was covering the two of them.

Callisto floated down to the ground. When that happened Serena and Sapphire open their eyes and the glow was gone. Callisto opened her eyes to see a wand. She took it and narrowed her eyes at Gamma.

"Meteor Star Cosmic Power!" She transformed into a sailor scout. Her uniform was light grey and dark purple. She wore a crown on her head and her hair was done in meatballs very similar to Serena's.

"Meteor Dry Ice!" she spun and clapped. A mist headed toward Gamma, he dodged it.

He was shocked at Callisto being Meteor.

"Callisto!" he yelled. "You were Meteor all this time!"

"I had no knowledge of it but I guess I was," she stated. She walked over to Riden who has fully recovered. She kissed the side of his mouth then pulled away with a smile. "You alright?" she asked him.

"I am fine," he said. Rolan recovered and was in shock at what he saw.

"Come with us Gamma," Riden offered despite the fact Gamma tried to kill him.

"NO! You fools! You will die one day! When the Elderans recover you will pay!" he yelled. "Come on Aero!"

"No," he stated. Everyone looked at him in shock. "I won't fight Callisto, Riden and Rolan. I refuse." Aero landed on the ground.

"Can you help me?" he asked Sailor Moon.

"Of course," she said.

"You are traitors all of you!" he screamed. He glowed red.

"That's a final attack!!" Callisto yelled! We have to get out of here!

As Gamma started to gather energy, voices stopped him.

"Now is not the time Gamma, we have found another way. Come back!"

He stopped his powers. "You all will pay," he said and disappeared.

The ground started to shake and crack open.

"I think that is our sign to leave," Serena said.

They all started to run through the forest. As they do the ground cracks open following them down. It was right at their heels. They get off the mountain and another explosion occurred. It engulfed the area in so much smoke that no one could see. It billowed into the air.

"The ship is going into space," Aero explained.

They could do nothing as the ship, under the cover of smoke, raised into the sky.


	24. The Elderan's New Plan

**Footprints In The Snow**

**Author: MoonStarDutchess**

**Chapter 24: The Elderan's New Plan**

**Rating:T**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. **

**AN: Hope you enjoy this. Please review. **

**The Elderan's New Plan**

Meteor looked down at her body. She couldn't believe it, she was a sailor scout. She lifted her hands and saw that they were adorned with light gray gloves.

Riden placed his hand on her shoulder and she turned to him. He was dressed differently as well. Rolan and Aero walked over to them as well.

"I can't believe we didn't see it. You do match the description." Aero said.

"Why didn't the Elderans sense it," she said, still in shock.

Sailor Moon let go of Sapphire and the others scouts were surprised as she slowly walked over to the former enemies.

"Sailor Moon!" Jupiter protested but Sapphire raised his hand to stop her. He turned to Tuxedo and the others.

"It's alright," he said and then turned back to watch Sailor Moon

Meteor was stunned to see Sailor Moon walking toward her. Riden, Roland, and Aero all move out of her way. She held her hand out for a handshake.

"Welcome to the Sailor Scouts," she said.

She looked at Sailor Moon's hand and back up at her face. She took her hand, "Thank you," she said.

"How in the hell can you just welcome her like that!" Rei yelled, running the moment. Sailor Moon turned to Rei, the others turned to her as well . "It's her fault that Chad and Grandpa are dead! She's a murderer and deserves to be punished for what she did! Not welcomed with open arms into the scouts. "

"Rei!" Sailor Moon scolded.

"She's right," Meteor said letting go of Serena's hand. She looked down at the ground. "It is my fault that her family is dead but I am sorry about that."

"Meteor," Serena said.

"I don't believe you!" Rei screamed. "You willing killed them!"

"Actually it wasn't Callisto it was Gamma," Sun said.

"She was there! It was her blast that hit the temple!" Rei yelled.

"I. . .I'm. . ." Meteor stuttered.

"Don't you dare say that you are sorry!"

"But. . ."

"Don't say anything you murderer!"

"ENOUGH!" Sailor Moon said, finally losing her temper with Rei's words. "With the way you talk you are also accusing yourself of murdering them.!" Rei and the others were stunned at Sailor Moon's words.

"What the hell do you mean by that!"

"Your fireball was in with the blast that hit your temple. If the fact that it was Meteor's blast, although it was redirected by Gamma, that hit the temple, since yours was mixed in with it doesn't that make the two of you the same?"  
Rei fell to her knees in shock. "Sailor Moon!" Ami said in a stunned tone kneeling with her friend

"I only speak the facts. If Meteor is a murderer because of the fact Rei stated then so is she."

Meteor looked up from the ground and over to Rei. She felt herself being pulled close to someone. She looked up to see Riden giving her a comforting smile.

Sailor Moon turned back to Meteor and the others.

"I need to clean you of all your dark energy."

They all nodded and stood together. They looked at Aero and Meteor spoke. "Are you sure Aero, you said earlier that you haven't found her yet. "

"Yes, I am sorry for attacking you. You are more important than immortality. Besides, I have a feeling I will find her. " For some reason Sailor Sun popped into his head. He just shook his head to clear the thought of her.

"You all ready?" Sailor Moon asked. They all nodded.

A gold orb appeared in front of her. It extended into a staff. She twirled it above her head then brought it straight in front of her. She twirled it in front of her quickly.

"Moon Healing Staff, Multi Refresh!" several orbs of light came from the twirling staff and engulfed the group before her. When the light faded away Serena smiled.

"Welcome to your new life." they all smiled at each other then kneel before Sailor Moon. A blush came to her cheeks and she rubbed the back of her head.

"Thank you your highness!" the four of them said. Sailor Moon continued to rub the back of her head.

"Please don't do that, it's strange," she said. Sapphire walked up to her and places his hands on her shoulders.

"We should get out of here and see how Lia and Eon are doing."

Meteor and the others stood and were shocked. "Eon's alive?" Meteor asked hopefully.

"Yes, he's been with us," Star said walking up to them. Sun followed her.

Tears came to Meteor's eyes and she looked at Riden who was smiling.

"Thank goodness!" she said.

Sailor Moon turned to the other scouts. "I want to talk with all of you in Tuxedo's apartment. This is not a request! Be there tonight at eight. No excuses!" Serena said in a stern tone. The other scouts and Tuxedo nodded.

"Good, now lets get out of here."

--------------------

Serena and the others made their way back to the apartment. Lia and Eon were sitting on the couch talking when they come in.

"Eon! Buddy!" Aero said.

Eon looked up in surprise. "Aero?" he said stunned. He stood and shook his hand. Aero pulled him into a hug. When they pulled away Aero said, "I am glad that you are alive."

"Eon," a female voice said. He looked over to the source of the voice.

"Callisto," he said with a smile. She instantly ran over to him and hugged him., followed shortly by Riden and Rolan. Everyone else just stood back and smiled at the happy reunion.

"What are you all doing here?"

"We could ask you the same thing. I figure it is the same reason so we won't." Callisto said.

"I think I'll make us all some tea!" Lia said, standing up from where she was seated.

Serena looked over at the clock. "I am going to have to take a rain check on the tea Lia I need to have a little talk with the other scouts." She turned to Sapphire, "I'll be back in a while."

He nodded and walked with her to the door. "Be careful," he said. She smiled at his concern. "I'm pretty sure I'll be alright. We are in the same building after all." She tiptoed and kissed him softly on the lips. He grinned and she walked out the door. She found her way to Darien's apartment and knocked softly on the door. Darien opened it.

"Serena, come on in." He moved to let her enter then closed the door. "You are early the others haven't arrived yet. Please sit down." Serena nodded and went to sit on the couch. He offered her something to drink, which she politely declined. He sat across from her and it stayed silent.

"How's things been?" Serena asked trying to break the awkward silence.

"Good, I am going to be starting my residency at Tokyo regional hospital soon," he said.

She smiled, "That is great. I know you will make a great doctor. Have you decided a specialty yet or are you just going into general practice?"

"Pediatrics," he stated. Serena's smile grew wider. "How about you, your graduation is coming up right? Have you decided what you want to do?"  
"Yea, I have," she said. It was so nice to have a conversation like this with Darien. No awkwardness or anything of the sort.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I want to be a writer," she stated. "I am going to major in English in college. Both Sapphire and I are going to college in America." Serena realized her slip-up but it didn't seem to bother Darien.

"I always thought your writing was excellent" he said. She blinked at him.

"When did you read any of it?"

"You left a notebook here and I thought it was my class notes. I read the first few lines and I was hooked. I read what you had. I just didn't say anything because I though you'd be angry."

"Oh," she said. The room grew silent.

"You and Sapphire are a good pair," Darien commented. Serena was waiting for him to be brought up. "He makes you smile, I like that. I am glad you are happy," he said.

"Are you happy Darien?" she asked him.

"Yes, I miss you, but I am happy," he said. A knock on the door interrupted their conversation. Darien stood and went to get it. Amara and Michelle enter the apartment and walk into the living area. She smiled and they sat across from her.

"The other girls are on their way," Michelle said. It stayed quite for a while then Amara broke the silence.

"You've grown up in such a short time," she said. Serena looked at her with surprise then laughed.

"Actually I've been like this since before I left." The other girls and Darien just happened to be approaching the living room when she was speaking. "I've always felt like I had to remain the ditsy Serena so that everyone would like me. If it wasn't for Sapphire I think I would have remained that way. He took me the way I was, ditsy moments, and I still have them, and serious grown up moments."

"We didn't know that was how you felt Serena," Ami said. Serena looked at Ami and the others. They all sat down. "We thought that was just you and your quirks. We are sorry if we did anything to hurt you."

"Enough about that," Serena said ending the topic of conversation. She went from a confessing tone to a stern one. "Why were you there?" she asked.

"Where?" Lita asked.

"The forest," Serena replied.

"We thought something bad was happening to the wildlife. We had to check it out." Rei snapped.

"I thought I told you that we'd handle it," Serena said calmly.

"As I recall you also told us that if we transformed to stay out of your way. You are the ones that interfered in on our fight," Rei replied in her angry tone.

Serena sighed in frustration, "You certainly were doing a lousy job at fighting."

"What!" Rei yelled standing up angrily.

"She's right Rei, if it hadn't been for Sapphire I might not be alive," he said.

Rei sat down roughly.

"I am asking, not telling you to please stay out of this fight," Serena said. She looked at each one of them. Please, I am not asking for selfish reasons. This is our fight. If we don't make it we need scouts to defend Earth. Let us take care of this. Have faith in us, support us. Please." She moved to the door and faced all of them. "As Serena, Sailor Moon, and Princess Serenity I am asking this of you." She bowed once stood and left.

"Wow, that was really . . .really. . ." Nina started. She can't find the words to describe the actions. The entire group is surprised at her mannerisms.

"Regal and grownup," Rei supplied.

They all turned to her and she smirked. "Meatball head isn't so much a meatball head any longer. She's slowly developing into a queen.

Gamma bowed before the Elderans.

"Forget that Gamma and listen," the voices said.

"Yes, but I am sorry over," he started.

"We said to listen," they said. After a short pause they began. "It has come to our attention that the Celestial Sailors have gathered. That means the sorceresses will soon appear. We must be revived before that happens. We know that you alone will not be able to capture the Celestials but you can still revive us to our full power."

"How great Elderans?"

"There are other scouts and the prince of the Earth that you can easily capture."

"But will their powers be enough? They are considerably weaker than the Celestials."

"It will be more that enough for they have hidden powers. Begin immediately! Do not fail us."

"Yes, great ones!" he said obediently and disappeared.


	25. Affirmation

**Footprints In The Snow**

**Author: MoonStarDutchess**

**Chapter 25: Affirmation**

**Rating: T**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. **

**AN: Hope you enjoy this. Please review.**

**March 23: More stuff added and hopefully all the tenses and typos are fixed. **

**  
**

**Affirmation **

"No Wayyyyyyyyyy!" Jasmine yelled then turned to look at Rolan in shock. "You beat me!"

"So?" he said nonchalantly. The two teenagers were sitting in front of the TV, remotes were in their hands and some sort of fighting game on the screen.

"I've been playing a year, you've only been playing for three days!"

"You're point being?"  
Jasmine pouted and folded her arms.

"You are acting like a spoiled child you know?" he stated.

She frowned deeper, turned off the video game console, and then. . .laughed. A smile appeared on her face.

"I am just kidding. I am a little surprised that you beat me after only three days but it's no prob. I think it's cool."

He blushed and then his brother, who was sitting on the couch, couldn't resist teasing him. The opportunity was too good!

"So my little brother found himself a girlfriend." Jasmine and Rolan turned towards Riden. A blush graced both of their cheeks.

"She's not my girlfriend. She isn't my type."

Jasmine didn't know why but that hurt her feelings. Sure they'd only known each other for three days but she couldn't' t help but have an affection for the young man. To hear she wasn't his type caused a pain in her heart.

She stood up and went to the door. She took her coat off of the rack.

"Hey! Where are you going? We were suppose to go to the park remember?" Rolan asked.

"I forgot that I have something to do. Besides you should go to the park with someone that's more your type," she said dejectedly. Rolan's eyes widened.

"Hey! I didn't mean . . ." she went out the door before he could finish his sentence. "Fine!" he yelled after her.

"You'd better go after her brother," Riden said. Rolan shot him a dirty look.

"Why?"

"Because you love her," he said.

Rolan laughed. "Are you daft? I am sixteen! I've known her for three days!"

"Nah, you've known her longer than that. It's like everyone is realizing they we all have known each other far before the time we are existing in now. I know you feel a connection to that girl just like I know that Aero and Miko, who happen to be on a date at the moment, Lia and Eon, and Calli and myself feel for one another. Now go find that girl and apologize to her."

"But," he said.

"It's not the time to be stubborn!" Riden scolded.

Without another word Rolan was out the door. He ran to the elevator and pressed the button for the bottom floor. Looking up at the panel he saw that it was still on the first floor. He then ran to the stairs and down them. He realized that yes he did feel a connection to that Jasmine and a strong one at that. They were young but he wasn't planning on marriage. . .yet.

He stopped when he thought of marriage. He realized that one day he did want to marry her. Without a doubt in his mind he knew she was the one for him. He loved her. At sixteen years old he was in love. He had to find her. He began running down the stairs and out of the building.

_Where would she be?_ He asked himself. He headed for the park then thought better. He turned the corner and ran straight down the street. He made a left and stopped at the arcade doors breathing heavily. After recovering his breath he walked inside. Sure enough, sitting at the old Sailor V console was Jasmine playing away with small frown on her face. He grinned when he heard her growl then soon after was the familiar slamming of her hands down on the console. He walked up to her. He noticed that she looked at him out of the corner of her eyes.

"Hi," he said sheepishly.

"Hello," she replied.

"Look, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I mean that's. . ." he stopped when she stood.

"You didn't hurt my feelings. What makes you think that?" she replied but he could hear the hurt feelings in her voice. She was not fooling him. She walked away but he grabbed her hand before she could get any further away from him.

"Let's go to the park and talk. Please Jasmine."

She just nodded her head. They walked out of the arcade.

"Well, that's interesting," Miko said. She and Aero were sitting in a booth in the arcade with Lia and Eon.

"It took them long enough," Aero replied.

She looked at him. "We are acting like it's perfectly normal for us to be in a serious relationship after three days."

"Hey, what are you talking about? We've been together for more than three days. Just not together, together." Aero replied.

"What?" Miko asked confused.

"What he means is that we were together during our past lives in the moon kingdom. We just don't have all the memories with us yet. " Lia replied.

Miko still looked uncharacteristically confused.

"You didn't see any glimpses of you and Aero together when you first met?" Eon asked.

"Oh! Yes I did. I see, sorry. I am not myself today. I just have this bad feeling."

"Well we have to stay on our toes. The enemy is still out there." Lia said.

Rolan and Jasmine walked to the park, they were still holding hands, It seemed as if neither of them noticed. They mad their way to a bench and sat down. She realized they were holding hands and removed her hand from his.

"You wanted to talk?" she asked.

"Yes, it's just that. . .I didn't mean what I said back there in the apartment. About my type. It's just I always get so nervous when my brother teases me. To be honest, I think you are my type. Very much so."

"I see," she said and looked down at her feet to hide the blush. Rolan took her hand. "I just wanted to ask if. . .well. . .would you be my girlfriend. She raised her head and blushed deeper.

"Well. . .I...sure. . ." she said.

"Great!" he exclaimed with a smile on his face. She smiled widely and nodded.

"Yea!" They go from being quite and bashful to full blown happy.

"Um...could I kiss you?" he asked going back to the shy Rolan.

Jasmine blushed deeply and nodded. He moved in and kissed her softly. When they pulled away they both had blushes. They look out at the lake.

"Let's go ice skate!" Jasmine said, back to her perky demeanor.

"Sure," he said. But before they got to the lake they heard Jasmine's name being called. They turned to see Mars, Uranus, Jupiter, and Neptune running towards them.

"What's the matter?" Jasmine said.

"Where's Serena, we need to talk. Ami and Nina were taken by Gamma."

Jasmine lifted her communicator to her lips.

"Scouts, we need to meet back at the apartment. There's an emergency."

Miko looked up at Lia and the others.

"Damn," she said.

"I see," Serena said and looked to Aero. "You were the last one with Gamma and the Elderans. Do you have any idea what they want with them?"

"No idea," he said.

"Hostages maybe?" Jasmine suggested.

"That's a possibility," Sapphire said.

Rei had her fist clinched and finally blurted out. "While you are contemplating this Nina and Ami are in extreme danger!"

"Rei, if we just rush into something it could put them at an even greater risk," Serena said.

"You're right, I am sorry. I am just worried," she said.

"I understand that," Serena replied.

Rei smiled at her.

"Please, all of you, keep as low a profile as you can. I don't want you all to be kidnapped as well." Serena said.

"Yes, we will," Rei said.

Lita rushed in the room.

"Everyone! Darien is missing and his apartment is trashed!"

"What!" They all said and ran to the apartment. They walked inside.

"Call the police Miko," Sapphire said. They all looked at him. "It would look suspicious if we didn't right?"

They all nodded in sudden understanding.

After being questioned by the police, standard procedure, everyone was sitting around the table playing cards to get their mind off of things for a moment. Serena opted to sit out on the balcony again. The sliding door opened and Serena looked up to see Rei walk out. She walked to Serena and sat down.

"I am sorry," she said suddenly.

"For what?" Serena asked.

"For giving you such trouble."

"Forget about it. You have a lot going on in your life and it's hit you all at once."

"Thanks," she said.

Serena just nodded and looked back out at the view. Rei noticed the far off look on Serena's face and thought about how different she was. She seemed to be more grown up, more confident in herself. She was the one that maturely broke up her relationship with Darien and now she was taking responsibility for a huge fight coming up. Rei instantly regretted saying all the mean things she said to Serena when she first met her. She was joking most of the time but still.

Now she envied Serena. She took hold of her destiny. She didn't let the one timeline that she saw for the future dictate her life. She wanted to do the same. She knew the timeline that they saw for the future couldn't happen now anyway but she still wanted to take control and not let her past dictate her.

She looked at Serena again and wondered about her thoughts.

"Can I ask you something?" Rei asked.

"Yea, go ahead."

"Do you still love Darien?"

"No, not in the way you mean."

"He does you. You know that?"

"No I didn't," Serena replied.

"How about Sapphire?"

"What about him?" she asked in a defensive tone and turning to look at Rei.

"Do you love him?" she asked.

"I do, without a doubt. I have never felt that way about anyone before. At least not enough to ..." She trailed off when she realized what she almost said and blushed.

Rei's eyes widened. "You didn't!" she said in shock.

"I didn't mean to let that slip," she replied.

"You did?" she asked.

Serena looked a Rei and nodded.

"So you aren't a ... I mean did you just...you know...or did you go all the way."

Serena blushed even deeper. "No I am not one," she said finally.

Rei put one leg up in the seat and turned toward Serena.

"That's more like it. Let's have girl talk!" she said. Serena's eyes widened.

"I am not going to tell you what happened!" she yelled.

"I don't want details silly, I just want to ask some questions.

Serena laughed sitting the same way as Rei. "Alright," she replied. Rei proceeded to ask questions about things but didn't once ask anything over the line. They finally grew silent again. Rei broke it eventually.

"I think it's weird but great that you found him. He cares so much for you as well. I haven't see the two of you together much but from what I've seen it's love on his part as well. Nina and Lita always talked about it."

"Sounds like em," she said.

Serena and Rei talked about old times and new times for hours more. They decided that it would be best if Rei, Lita, Amara, and Michelle stayed at the apartment for the night. The girls slept in two rooms and the men slept in Sapphire's room.

Late that night, Serena woke up and went to get some water from the kitchen. She lifted the glass to her lips and saw Sapphire sitting on the couch wide awake. She washed the glass and walked over to him.

"You alright?" she asked.

"I should ask you the same. You should be in bed."

"So should you," she replied.

Aero is snoring again. Serena cringed. She'd heard him when he was napping in a chair and she thought the air conditioning in the room was on.

"I get that, I've heard him. You are thinking of something else."

"Do you still love him?" Sapphire asked.

"Who?"

"Darien," he asked. "I heard Rei ask you but I didn't stick around for the answer. I don't eavesdrop unless by accident."

"Is that what's really keeping you up?"

"No, I mean that is a bit of it, but Aero's really snoring."

She sat down on his lap and brought her lips to his. He was shocked at first but then he kissed her back. She barely pulled away and cupped his face in her hands.

"You know the answer. I love him as a friend but someone else has my heart as a lover," she said.

"Who would that be?" he asked.

She smiled and kissed him again. Sapphire pulled away, "You remember what happened last time you were on my lap and kissing me right? I'd hate to have to run the boys out of my room." She was surprised at the very un-Sapphire like comment. She grabbed the blanket thrown across the couch and crawled beside him.

"How about we just cuddle?" she said and left his lap to snuggle up close to his body.

"Sounds good to me," he replied and pulled her closer. They soon fell asleep.

The next morning Rei was the first to wake up and she walked into the living room. When she looked at the couch a smile couldn't help but appear on her face. Sapphire and Serena were asleep on the couch, mouths open and drool threatening to leave their lips.

She heard everyone else stirring and decided to be nice and wake them up before the others saw but first she grabbed her purse and took out a camera.

"Black Mail!" she said happily and snapped a few photos.

"You have done well retrieving these three. You still have several to go. Do not fail us Gamma. As a reward we will grant you more power!" The Elderans said.

A beam of dark energy shot to him and engulfed his body in it's darkness.


	26. More Losses

**Footprints In The Snow**

**Author: MoonStarDutchess**

**Chapter 26: More Losses**

**Rating:T**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. **

**AN: Hope you enjoy this. Please review**

**More Losses**

Serena saw a slight flash of light despite her eyes being closed. After years as Sailor Moon she was unwillingly trained to wake up at the slightest occurrence which resulted in her lacking her normal sleep. She slowly opened her eyes and saw Rei holding a camera, a smile adorning her Japanese features.

It took a few moments to register in her head what Rei was exactly doing and she yelled loud enough to wake everyone residing in the apartment. She pulled out of Sapphire's arms and ran after Rei. He woke up when she did so, yawned and watched as the girls ran around the apartment, his girlfriend screaming like a banshee and Rei just laughing keeping a camera just out of reach.

Wait a minute? Did he see a camera? If she has a camera and he and Serena were sleeping that means pictures. Sapphire knew that he and Serena looked funny when they were asleep. Serena had told him that she was told this several times by Rini and he was teased time and time again by his brother when they were younger. He stood and as Rei ran by, for what seemed like the hundredth time, he grabbed it from her. She stopped and frowned.

"Give that camera back!" she said.

"Yay! Nice going sweetie!" Serena said.

"Give my camera back!" Rei said walking towards them. Serena grabbed her by the arm and pulled her away from him.

Sapphire opened the camera and took the film from it. Serena let go and he tossed Rei the camera.

"Hey!"

"You said the camera, not the film," he replied.

"But...you...damn..." she stuttered. Serena and Sapphire looked at each other, laughed and Serena hugged Rei.

"For the first time Rei, I think your speechless," she said.

Rei grinned, "You're right Serena," she said.

------------------------------

Everyone soon woke up and after breakfast Rei and Lita grabbed their bags.

"Where are you two going?"

"If we are going to stay here any longer we are going to need some clothes. We need to go pack some."

"You can't go alone," Lia said.

"We are perfectly capable of taking care of ourselves," Lita said.

"Just like your friends were?" Miko asked.

The two inner scouts stood there speechless.

"How about if Amara and I go with them? Surely Gamma isn't stupid enough to attack two inners and two outer scouts right?" Michelle said.

Serena looked at Callisto and the others that were formerly with the Elderans for an answer.

"I attacked all of you and almost beat you," Callisto reminded them. "Gamma is stronger than I am," she said.

"It's not safe," Serena said. We should all go with you."

"That shouldn't be necessary. He got Ami and Nina when they were scouts. There are millions of people in Tokyo. I doubt that even if he knew what we looked like he could find us. I got some clothes at Lita's house and he doesn't know where Lita lives. We will be fine," Rei said.

"Michelle and I will go with them. If anything happens we can hold him off until you all get there," Amara said

"Serena stood and called for Rio and Pasha, who had been with Pluto finding all of the information they could on the Elderans, they walked in the room. They both look exhausted.

"I am sorry you two but you wouldn't happen to have a spare communicator would you?" Rio jumped in the air and a swirl of light came forth. A communicator was left on the table. "Thank you," Serena said. She picked it up and handed it to Amara. "You all be careful," she said.

"We will don't worry," she said. The four of them leave.

"I don't know what she was so worried about. I know they are really powerful but how could they possibly pinpoint us out of all the people in Tokyo? Unless we are in scout form then they would have millions of people to sift through," Lita said

"Never underestimate the enemy Lita, you know that already," Michelle replied.

"They can figure out anything," Amara said.

"Help!" a familiar voice yelled. They turned around to see a bloody Nina staggering from the trees in a park. She collapsed and without hesitation they run to her. Rei kneeled down beside the body and flipped Nina over on her back.

"She's hurt! We have to get her to a hospital!" Rei exclaimed.

"Right," Lita said, lifting her up. They each take one of Lita's arms and put it around their shoulders.

Amara and Michelle were watching from a distance they turned away for a minute.

"Don't you find it funny that Nina shows up just as we go out?" Amara said

"Yea," Michelle replied. Their eyes widen and they turned.

"Get away from her!" Amara yelled but it was too late. The ground came up over them and they were covered.

"Rei! Lita!" Michelle yelled. Amara got out the communicator but before she could say anything she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen. She looked down to see blood and that a sharp object was through her stomach. Michelle screamed and the object left Amara and she fell to the ground. Michellefell to her knees and lifted her lover to let her rest in her arms. Amara wasn't breathing, she wasn't moving, and all Michelle could do was hold her against her. She was in such a shocked state that she didn't see a projectile coming toward her. In an instant Michelle fell forward, killed instantly.

They didn't have a chance to call the scouts.

Serena was eating a bowl of ice cream when a sharp pain hit through her body. She dropped the glass bowl on the floor and it shattered. The others didn't look up.

"We told you that you shouldn't eat ice cream so fast Serena," Miko scolded light heartedly. When she didn't respond Sapphire looked at her. Serena clutched her shirt over her heart. Sapphire ran to her as she fell to the ground. She screamed in pain and kept her gaze on the floor. The others ran to her.

"Serena, Serena! Talk to me Serena!"

"It hurts!" she screamed.

"Call a doctor!" he said hysterically.

As Miko moved toward the phone Serena yelled,

"MY SCOUTS! NOT MY SCOUTS! NO MORE!"

She leaped in Sapphire's arms and cried.

"Serena, what's the matter with you? Serena? Serena? Call the doctor."

"I don't need a doctor!" she sobbed. . . "I Need you to hold me. My scouts are gone, they're gone," she sobbed again. Sapphire picked her up in his arms.

"I am going to put her in a room. She needs to rest," he said as she continued sobbing. He carried her into a room and laid her on the bed. He took off her shoes and walked to the door to leave when he heardhis name called. He closed the door and turned to see Serena who was sitting up with tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Don't leave me," she said. She had such a pleading tone in her voice that he couldn't say no, as if he would in the first place. He took off his jacket and slipped off his shoes. Serena moved over and he got on the bed with her. She scooted down on the bed and he did as well. After laying his head down on the pillow, she moved her head to his chest. He felt her hiccup and held her close. He felt her relax as he stroked her back.

"What's the matter Serena?"

"Amara and Michelle are dead," she said. Sapphire was shocked at her words.

"What makes you say that?"

"I can't feel them anymore," she replied.

"But that means that Rei and Lita are. . ."

Serena nodded her head. "The Elderans got to them," she said trying to steel her voice. Sapphire looked down at the woman he feel in love with. Feeling overwhelmed with feelings he pulled her close to his body. Serena clutched his shirt trying to keep her emotions in check.

"Go ahead and cry Serena," he said. She let all of her emotions go and his shirt soon became soaked as she cried on him. She soon cuddled closer and cried herself to sleep, then he drifted off as well.

A few hours later...

"Are you sure officer?" Rion asked as he talked to the detective. The others were visibly upset over the death of their new friends.

"Yes, their ID's said Amara Tenoh and Michelle Kaioh we checked all of the apartments here for people who knew them. They were last seen leaving here."

"Yes, we knew them quite well. They were our friends," Lia said.

"I see, do you know of any family they may have?"

"No, we don't," Rion said

"We are running a track but we need to identify the bodies. Could you come down to the city morgue and identify them? You don't have to come today. I realize that it is difficult for you all."

"I will come down tomorrow," Rion said.

"Very well," he replied. "I thank you for your time." Rion nodded and showed the detective out. When he shut the door Callisto walked over to him.

"How are we going to tell Serena about Amara and Michelle?"

"I already know," she said. They turned to see her walking out of the bedroom with Sapphire, she was holding his hand.

"Get ready, we are going to identify the bodies and then take them down!"

"Wonderful work Gamma," the Elderans said.

"Thank you Masters," he replied.

"Now we can bring fourth our world! Our own world and you will be amply rewarded for your loyalty Gamma."

"Thank you," he said and bowed.

The crystals that contained the Elderans began to glow and flash in unison with the scouts.

"Now we come forth!"


	27. It Begins

**Footprints In The Snow**

**Author: MoonStarDutchess**

**Chapter 27: It Begins**

**Rating: T**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. **

**AN: Hope you enjoy this. Please review. **

**It Begins**

The next day the group went down to the city morgue. Serena took charge immediately when the officer asked who was going to identify the body.

"I'll do it," she said. Sapphire grabbed her hand. She looked at him and smiled slightly to reassure him that she would be alright. He still asked,

"You want me to come with you?"

Serena shook her head. "I need to do this on my own."

"Alright," he replied hesitantly and let go of her hand. Serena followed the coroners assistant into the place where their bodies were kept. When she stepped in chills shot through her body. She never realizedhow cold they kept these places. Then again, it could be her subconscious warning that there were dead bodies everywhere. The assistant walked to two tables and pulled the sheet off the two faces of the bodies resting on the tables. Serena held in a gasp. She knew it would be them but to see them so lifeless was still a shock.

She took a step forward and her feet felt like lead. They seemed to get heavier and heavier the closer she got. She looked down at the faces of Amara and Michelle.

"It's them," Serena confirmed.

"Alright then," the assistant said, when she started to cover the bodies Serena stopped her hand.

"Could I possibly have a few minutes alone with them?"

"Of course," the assistant said and left the room. Serena watched her go and turned her gaze back to her formerly living friends.

"I shouldn't have let you go. It's my fault that you are dead and that Rei and Lita were captured. What kind of leader am I? Whatever kind I am I promise you that the Elderans will be destroyed. I will avenge your deaths. I swear it!" She reached down to move several strands of Amara's hair from her eyes. Suddenly her symbol appeared on her forehead. Serena looked over at Michelle and saw the same thing happening. She took a step back, she was stunned at what was happening.

Two seethrough images of Uranus and Neptune appeared. Serena went to take another step back but found she couldn't make herself move out of both fear and fascination.

"We have no regrets your highness," Michelle said.

"We lives our lives happily and helped to save the world several times. Just as you will have to do again in a short while. Be strong and we will meet again one day," Uranus said.

"But...you can't leave!" she said.

Two glowing orbs surround Serena and then disappear into her crystal.

"You can do this your highness. We both have so much faith in you," Michelle said with a smile then her image faded.

"Go get them doll face," Amara said and faded as well. She was left in the cold room alone again with the mere shells of her friends and she had no tears left to cry within her. She just had this determination that wouldn't let go of her.

"I promise that I won't fail you," Serena said. She covered up the bodies and left the room. She approached the others. She took Sapphire's hand and said "Lets go back to the apartment."

They all sat in the living area in silence before Serena broke it.

"We have to go back to Kyoto soon," she asked.

"Two days," Miko confirmed.

Serena turned to Eon, Rolan, Riden, Aero, and Callisto. "It's your decision whether you want to come to Kyoto with us. We are going to track your ship and kill the Elderans."

"I'm Sailor Meteor so of course I am going to help. It's my duty."

"I'd say that goes for the rest of us .We all have deep connections to all of you. Memories of you," Aero said

"I agree," Eon replied.

"Very well then, we will go back to Kyoto, find the ship, then we strike." Serena said.

"I think I can help with the ship part. Try looking in the asteroid belt between Jupiter and Mars. That's where we were always stationed," Riden said.

"Very well, tomorrow we are going back to Kyoto," Serena said. "I've talked to Trista. She will be coming with us as well. We are going to need her with us."

"Then we all should get some sleep," Sapphire said. Everyone agreed and they all went to bed.

They caught a plane back to Kyoto the next day and gathered in Serena's apartment.

"You detect the ship?" Sapphire asked.

"Yes, we found it. Riden was right they are in the belt," Lia answered.

"So what now?" Jasmine said.

"Rio and Pasha will stay at the time door watching it for me," Pluto said. "I am going to go help you fight."

"How do we get to the ship?" Aero asked.

"That's the thing. Sapphire can go there with us because of his power but you . . .can't," Serena said to Aero, Riden, Rolan and Eon.

"Can't go!" The four of them said.

"What do you mean? Why?" Rolan asked.

"You don't have the ener..."Lia was interrupted by a voice. They looked up to see Serena's grandmother standing there, appearing unfazed about what Serena and the group was taking about.

"Grandmother! We were just discussing a . . .a new rpg! Right everyone?"

They all agreed eagerly.

"You kids calm down. I know all about you being sailor scouts and about you Serena, being a princess. More specifically the princess of the moon."

Everyone was shocked completely at her revelation. They were so shocked that they couldn't utter a word. Rio and Pasha came out from behind her legs. She closed her eyes and a circle of silver came from the bottom of her shoes and encircled her body. As it ascended her clothing and features changed. When it reached the top of her head she was completely different looking. She was wearing a beautiful silver dress and her hair was silver and braded. She looked to be in her early thirties.

"What is going on here?" Serena asked.

"I think it's time I explain everything to you kids," she said and sat down.

"Serena, I was your nursemaid on the moon during the silver millennium. I was there when the sorceresses died. I was with you. I gave you a sleeping potion when it happened as your mother wished. I knew all of you during that time. Cute little Liannas, too grown up Callisto, tough little Mikotas, funny little Jasmine, and last but not least the gorgeous little Tristania, I remember all of you vividly."

"What is your real name grandmother," Serena asked in amazement.

"Cecelia," she said. Then the recognition popped into her head of a childhood on the moon and a woman that was pushing her on a swing, telling her bedtime stories, and teaching her to ice skate. Then as a teenager, she talked with this woman about boys, clothes, and any troubles that she had. She teared up and looked at Cecelia. She stood and kneeled in front of the young woman. "I remember," she said. She hugged the woman that she'd know in both her life on the moon and her life on earth. Cecelia hugged her back instantly.

"I am so glad that you are here and safe. I can't believe all this time you were my grandmother," Serena said after she moved back to her seat.

"I was sent here to make sure you were taken care of. I fell in love with a human here and had your mother and little did I know that my own daughter would give birth to the girl I raised on the moon. I thought that I would have to search for you. I kept in contact with Queen Serenity's soul for my entire life here as an adult. She told me the sorcerers that she banished, with the five sorceresses help, were returning with to get their revenge. They are still bitter after all these years for being banished into those crystals. That battle on the moon resulted in the death of your father and nearly took your mothers. She and sorceresses managed to seal the evil ones into crystals and send them to another galaxy. This act killed the five sorceresses and as I said, nearly killed your mother. Before the sorceresses died they sent the powers to their children."

"Us?" Miko questioned.

"Yes," she said. "The only way out of the crystals is to use large amounts of life energy. Who better than the offspring of the sorceresses that sealed them. Then they could kill two birds with one stone. After getting your energies they would take over the galaxy one planet at a time. There would be nothing to stop them."  
"Do you think that is what they want the other scouts for? Since they couldn't get us they are using the others to gain energy?" Serena asked.

"Yes, that is a good possibility."

"We have to stop them from being released!" Miko said.

Cecelia took off her necklace and raised it. The two toned blue orb pendant on the locket shattered into several pieces. The dark shades went to Eon, Riden, Rolan, and Aero. They turned into rings, the rings disappeared and appeared on their fingers.

The lighter blue pieces of the orb wentto the scouts. Their wands appeared in front of them and the crystal pieces encircled their wands. As they do the wands changed appearances. They now had small gold wings on the handle and a small tiara on orb at the top of the wand. A piece of crystal flew to Trista and her staff appeared. Instead of an heart now encasing the red orb at the top, it changed into a star and the orb now had a Pluto symbol engraved in it. The staff and wands disappeared.

Cecelia stood and walked over to Serena. She took a small locket from her hand and pressed it against Serena's locket. A light engulfed the room and Serena, Sapphire, and Cecelia disappear. The others in the room were left with confused faces.

Serena and Sapphire found themselves in a beautiful room. Everything was various shades of white except the floor which was a beautiful dark blue marble. Serena looked down and saw that she was clad a light blue dress that sparkled slightly and barely tipped the floor. She turned to Sapphire who was wearing a blue jacket of the same color, with black pants and a sword in a belt at his side.

_Yummy _Serena thought then instantly scolds herself. It wasn't the time or place to think about how hot he was. Sapphire chose that time to turn his head and saw his girlfriend looking at him. He smiled as she blushed and looked away. He had the same thoughts as he looked at her and scolded himself as well.

The two of them heard footsteps and spun on their heals. Serena reached instinctively for her crystal and Sapphire for his sword. They relaxed when they saw Cecelia walking toward them. Serena was shocked to see her mother walking behind her. She had her arm linked with a tall man with dark hair and a mustache. Cecelia arrived and moved out of the way of the two couples. Serena took a step forward in shock at seeing her moon father. She had very few memories of the man but no bad ones at all. Her mom let his arm go and she ran to him, hugging him. He rubbed the top of her head and Serena hugged him tighter.

"My little Moonbeam is all grown up," he said softly. She pulled her head away from his chest. Tears were streaming down her face and she nodded. She stepped back and her father looked Sapphire up and down. Sapphire tried his best not to squirm under his intense scrutinizing glare.

"I never did that like prince of the Earth boy, Darren, Darben . ." her dad tried to remember.

"Darien," Serena provided .

"Yes, that's the one. Sapphire was always a better match. I regret having to send his family away," he said and walked up to Sapphire. He extended his hand to him. Sapphire took it firmly. "You take good care of my daughter. I know you will of course but I want to tell you anyway."

"Yes sir," he replied.

Queen Serenity stepped up to her husband and placed her hand on his shoulder. He moved to stand beside her and took her hand.

"You have a dangerous battle ahead of you. That is why we told Cecelia to bring you here. You will need more power."

"And I believe it is safe to say that you two will get married eventually. I can see it," he mother replied.

Serena blushed and looked at Sapphire in shock when he said,

"Only if she would permit me to," he looked at her.

"Did you just ask me?" Serena asked.

Sapphire nodded. She smiled brightly and hugged him.

"Of course I will!" she yelled. Serena's parents smiled at each other and when she and Sapphire pulled away Serena's mother walked up to her and placed her hand on Serena's forehead, her father touched Sapphire's forehead. They both closed their eyes and concentrated. Serena and Sapphire felt new energy engulf them. A beam of gold and silver energy encircled the two couples and then flashed. Cecelia shielded her eyes from the light.

When the light dissipated Serena and Sapphire were gone. Cecelia walked up to the king and queen.

"Are your majesties alright?"

"Yes, we are fine Cecelia," The queen said.

"Do you think they will win?"  
"We have no way of knowing until the battle's end," the king replied.

Serena and Sapphire found themselves back in the apartment. The place was trashed and everyone was gone.

"What happened here?" Serena asked in alarm.

Her question was answered when the whole apartment started to shake violently.

"An earthquake," she stated.

"Yes, and I have a feeling it's not your average quake," he replied.

"We have to find the scouts," she said. The quake stopped and she took out her communicator.

"Scouts, where are you?"

"Sailor Moon, we are at the lake in Kaksu park. We all are alright. There's something here you have to see."

"We are on our way," she said and cut off the communication. She looked at Sapphire.

"You ready?" she asked.

"I was just about to ask you the same thing," he replied.


	28. Closer to the Elderans

**Footprints In The Snow**

**Author: MoonStarDutchess**

**Chapter 28: Closer to the Elderan's**

**Rating: T**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. **

**AN: Hope you enjoy this. Please review.**

**Closer to the Elderan's **

There was a huge tower in the middle of Kaksu park. The scouts could feel it radiating dark energy. It came up right through the lake and the water was curving over as if there was fountains all around it. According to the news they heard over the radio transmitter that Comet had in her ear ring, the police were trying to get there but the roads had fallen apart all over the city making travel impossible.

"I hope Meteor and Riden find Sailor Moon and Sapphire in all the chaos," Sailor Star said. The scouts were a fairly good distance away from the huge, black tower. They knew that they would have to eventually go in and would be at a disadvantage since they would be on the enemies playing field. But they weren't about to try and go in without Sailor Moon.

"They will, don't worry," Rolan said comfortingly. Star could only give him a soft smile. She looked down when she felt warmth on top of her hand. His hand was on hers and he squeezed it. She looked up at his face which was turned toward the tower.

"Do you all know this tower? The architecture?" Pluto asked turning to Eon and Aero.

"No, I've never seen this before," Eon replied.

"I haven't either," Aero said as well.

They felt a strong wind hit them and huddled down behind the bushes. They looked at the trees and they were blackened.

"That's not good," Star said in shock.

"The Elderans are close to their awakening," Eon said . The dread in his voice sent chills through everyone there.

Meteor and Riden ran toward the apartment, jumping over holes and dodging the rubble from the earthquake.

"God, I didn't realized we lived this far away," Meteor said.

"Me either," he Rolan replied. Then they heard two familiar voices. They looked up on top of a small two story building to see Sapphire and Sailor Moon.

Sapphire now had on a black shirt with white pants, and a dark blue cape. A sword was at his side encrusted with a golden crescent-shaped jewel in the middle of the hilt. The inside of his cape was silver making the outfit stand out.

Sailor Moon had on the typical white part of the uniform but her skirt was silver with white stripes going around it at the end. On her side was a smaller version of the sword that Sapphire carried. She had a small silver tiara on her head.

"Up here you two!" Sailor Moon yelled.

Meteor and Riden took a deep breath and jumped upon the building to stand in front of the two.

"We though we was going to have to go all the way to the apartment and meet you. We knew you were back but we decided to play it safe and come and get you," Riden spoke to her.

"Play it safe?" Sailor Moon questioned.

"We are suppose to protect you after all? Right?" Meteor asked.

"No, that is the job of the inner scouts. Anyway, we don't have time for that right now. What is happening in the park?" Sailor Moon asked.

"A huge tower is there. Right on the lake!" Meteor replied.

Sapphire looks at Sailor Moon. "We should get there and find a way in."

Sailor Moon nodded, "Let's get going."

The four of them quickly found their way to the park and to their horror the entire park is black. It had yet to reach any of the buildings in the city.

They walked along a path in the park, it was so dirty and dry that with every step they took dust flew up. They tried to stay among the black trees so not to be spotted by anyone at the tower.

"Where are the others?" Serena questioned. Just after she said that Star popped her head up from behind a huge rock.

"Here we are!" she walked out from behind the rock, the others following her.

"What happened to this place? Were you attacked?" Sapphire asked.

"No, I don't think it was specifically directed at us. I think it wants to do the entire planet like this. According to my computer the tower grew in size after it's display," Comet replied.

"Did you pick up any life sighs of the other scouts?" Sailor Moon asked her.

"A few pulses of energy directly after the dark wave did all of this, then nothing."

"Let's get as close to this tower as possible. Then find our way in," Sapphire said.

"I know a way. The tower's weakness is on the north side. If we can teleport there we can attack and quickly enter."

"Then lets do it," Sailor Moon said.

"What if it is a trap?" Miko asked.

"We still don't have a choice. We have to get in there."

They approached the tower cautiously under the cover of bushes and trees. They all held hands, closed their eyes, and concentrated on the west side of the tower and teleported there. Pluto attacked the spot right when they arrived and it created a huge hole in which they promptly ran through. It sealed itself back up right after the last of the group got in.

They were surrounded by darkness until sun got her wand out. With a tap the wand started to glow and illuminate the room. Well actually, it was more of a long hallway. Everything was black stone that glittered strangely.

"This tower is made from Marpatite," Eon said.

"Marpatite?" Pluto questioned.

"It's a strong marble from our home planet," Meteor said. "It's know to amplify black magic. The tale is that each chuck of it is infused with a pinch of a soul of a devil," Riden added.

"Can't you guys ever have anything nice on your planet. Like lilies or unicorns?" Star asked. Riden rubbed the top of her head.

"Sorry kid," he replied. Star pouted but stopped when Rolan whispered in her hear.

"I hate when he does that too."

The group started to walk down the hallway quietly. Suddenly Comet's computer started beeping. She quickly took it out and scanned the figures on the screen.

"The scouts are close by. Their energy signatures are showing up. According to this they should be at the end of the hall. On the left…no…right."

"Then lets get them," Pluto said.

As they approached the door they were supposedly in the computer started beeping wildly. They opened the door slowly and saw five bodies laying on black crystals. They were flashing in unison with a five crystals on the wall.

"That is what they are up to?" Meteor said in shock.

"What is it?" Star asked.

"The Elderans are using their energy to awaken. That is the reason that they wanted the inners."

"Why didn't they just take Neptune and Uranus instead of killing them?" Moon asked.  
"Do you really think they could have captured those two alive. The inners may be stubborn but those two would have killed themselves before they would have let themselves be taken and used against you," Pluto answered.

"Yes, I see," Moon said and turned to Meteor. "Is there anyway to stop it?"

Meteor turned to Riden for an answer.

"Destroy the crystals on the wall. However, if you do this we will be discovered. I think the reason for why they aren't well guarded is because they don't know we are here," Riden answered.

"We were going to get discovered eventually," Sapphire replied. "At least then we will have five more allies."

"I don't think it will do much good now," Sun said softly. They all turn to her to see her standing by Mars. "I just checked the bodies. No pulses."

Everyone's eyes widen. "You have got to be kidding?" Star said in obvious distress. Sun shook her head. Sailor Moon was just quite at the revelation. More of her scouts were gone. No, she wouldn't stand for it. No way was she loosing them.

"I need to talk to you Sapphire," she said. He walked closer to her and she turned to him. She whispered in his ear.

"No way are you doing that alone. Take some of mine as well," he said.

"I can't do that," she replied in shock.

"I love you and you can."

"But our lives will be irreversibly linked. When I … you will. . . "

"I know that. Sailor Moon, I've already planned on linking my life with yours. This will be nothing new."

"What are they talking about?" Star questioned as the others listened to them "talk privately".

She and Sapphire faced the others and Moon said,

"Sapphire and I are going to give up some of life forces to them. Just enough to bring each of them back."

"What? Can you do that? That is crazy!" Star exclaimed.

"Yes, we can do that."

Sun started to say something but Sapphire cut her off.

"Only people from Moons can donate their life force to someone."

Sun kept quite. Obviously she was going to offer to donate a portion of her life force. The other scouts would have probably asked as well if Sapphire hadn't said that.

"How much of your life force will it take?"

"I don't know. I don' think it will take a lot. A few years," Moon said.

"Years!" they all say at once and in shock.

"Yes, now please get the bodies off of the crystals and put them together on the floor."

As the others did this she turned to Sapphire. "Are you sure about this? You don't have to. . ." Sapphire cut her off with a kiss on her lips, lifting his hand to rest on her chin. He pulled away his hand still on her chin.

"No doubt," he replied without wavering. She smiled at him and nodded.

"I love you, you know that right?"

"And I you," he replied.

Star walked up to the two. "We are done," she said.

"Right, stand away from the bodies," she said. The others backed away from the group of lifeless people.

Serena and Sapphire faced each other and joined hands. Neither knew how they knew about this, or how to do it. They just did have the ability . Sapphire reasoned that it had something to do with the power ups.

They closed their eyes and concentrated. A orb of light came from their hands and split into five smaller orbs. Each went into each one of the bodies. The bodies glowed with a warm light then stopped.

Darien was the first to wake up. Followed by Rei, Lita, Ami, and Nina. They all sat up and looked at the group that watched them. They stood and looked at Moon and Sapphire who were still concentrating on the life-force transfer.

"What happened?" Rei asked.

"Moon and Sapphire gave you some of their life forces to bring you back. You were dead," Pluto said.

Sapphire and Moon opened their eyes and collapsed on the ground. Moon leaned against him as they sat on the floor. The scouts ran to them.

"Sailor Moon, Sapphire, are you two alright?" Meteor asked.

"Yes, we will be alright in a minute. It takes a lot of energy to do that," Moon said.

"Thank you," Rei said. Moon looked up at her and smiled slightly.

"Can you all transform?" Sapphire asked pulling Moon closer to him because she was gasping for breath harder than he was.

"Yes," Lita said.

The four girls and Darien transformed into the scouts and Tuxedo Mask. Moon and Sapphire manage to get to their feet.

"Now what?" Mars asked.

"We fight the Elderans?" Miko asked.

"We have to find them first," Meteor said.

The floor suddenly started to glow and then it exploded in a black and yellow light.

--------

Serena landed on something soft. She got up and rubbed her head.

"Sorry Sapphire," she said.

"Sorry to disappoint Sailor Moon," a masculine voice replied.

"Tuxedo Mask?"

"Yea," he said. She realized that she was sitting on his lap. She scrambled off of it as if she was sitting on a hot stove.

They both stood and Moon followed the same lead as Sun and got out her wand which illuminated the area. They were in a decimated city.

"Where are we?"

"Not a clue," Tuxedo replied. They continued to walk down the city roads. Tuxedo couldn't help but stare at the girl, no, woman before him. She wasn't the Serena he knew. She walked with a womanly yet determined stride. Her uniform accentuating her figure more than any of the previous ones. He knew it was wrong to look at her like that. He saw by the way she looked at Sapphire that he was the only man that she wanted. That she would ever want. He cursed the fact that he had royally fucked up any chance he had. He was thankful that they were still friends now.

She stopped in her tracks when she saw a familiar man walking past a tree right down the street. She smiled and yelled, "Sapphire!"

The man stopped and smiled as he walked toward her. Moon ran toward him and hugged him. They pulled away.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

She nodded, "Yes I am fine. You?"

"I'm alright," he replied. He saw Tuxedo approaching.

"Do you know where we are?" Tuxedo asked him, ignoring the way he had Moon's hand. She wasn't his anymore but it still bothered him. He was happy she was happy but that didn't me he had to like seeing them together.

"Yes," he said and nodded toward a building. Moon and Tuxedo looked in the direction and were shocked to see the arcade sign and the arcade completely ruined.

"This is downtown Tokyo?" Moon said in shock.

"Yes, that is my guess. Although I don't think this is the present."

"It's an illusion technique called Caterlizysm." The three turn around to see Rolan and Jasmine behind them in normal clothes.

"Caterlyzysm?" Tuxedo questioned.

"Yes, I don't know as much as my brother or Meteor about it but what I do know is that it is made to gain energy. The more you all stayed powered up the more energy it is using. You shouldn't be transformed."

"What if we are attacked?" Moon asked.

"It's either make the Elderan's stronger with your energy or go back to normal. Besides they can't enter this world. This world is used to gather energy. The person behind this illusion is probably somewhere near where we were in our world."

"Have you seen the others?" Sapphire asked.

"No but I checked my communicator to see if I could get a hold of them. I got a hold of Lia, Mars, Miko, Aero, and Eon. That is it."

"Does that mean the others are in another illusion."

"Impossible," Eon said walking up with the others in tow. "Only one illusion can be conducted in any world. That means they are still in the real world." Moon, Sapphire, and Darien changed back to normal.

"So they will have to find the thing responsible and destroy it?" Mars asked.

"The orb it's holding is what needs destroying," Eon said.

"How can we get a hold of them to tell them?" Jasmine asked. The place got silent as the group ran ideas over and over in their heads.

"My brother," Rolan said suddenly.

"What about him?" Miko asked.

"You don't get it do you? We are siblings."

Aero and Eon's eyes widen in realization. "That's right!" Aero exclaimed.

"Am I the only one confused?" Serena said.

"Sibling connection, we can speak telepathically with one another if we absolutely need to," he said and closed his eyes.

"Brother…brother… can you hear me?"

-------------

Riden stirred from unconsciousness when he heard his brother's voice. He slowly sat up. Every muscle in his body hurt he popped his shoulder when he heard is brother's voice again.

"Brother are you there?"

"Yes, I am here," he said. "The question is . . .where the hell are you?"

"We have an Caterlizysm on us. We need you to find out where the one casting it is and the orb it's using to cast it."

Riden notices Meteor, Venus, Jupiter, Pluto, and Mercury getting up and walking over to him. "I assume everyone else is with you?"

"Yes, we are all here."

"We will find them. Just sit tight. You know what could happen if you use too much energy."  
"Yea, be careful brother."

"We will," he said.

The brothers broke the connection. Meteor, Venus, Jupiter and Pluto walked up to him. Meteor gave him a quizzical look.

"We have to find a Caterlizysm caster," he said. Meteor nodded.

"A what?" Jupiter asked.

"We will explain on the way. We have to look through all the rooms here. It can't cast a spell that far away. It has to be in this radius."

--------------

"Well?" Jasmine asked.

"We need to find a place where we can be comfortable and use less energy as possible," Rolan said. "They are looking for the caster."

"I know where we can go," Serena said. There is a hotel just down the street. It is really nice. If it wasn't destroyed to much it would be perfect to relax in.

"Great, let's get going," Jasmine said.

-----------------------

Riden and the others scoured every room in the hallway after explaining the spell to Jupiter, Pluto, and Venus.

"There's no caster here, what now?" Jupiter said after they met back out in the hall.

A laugh familiar to Meteor and Eon echoed through the hall. They heard footsteps and Gamma came into view.

"Well well look what we have here? Looking for something?"  
"Gamma, I figured as much," Riden said. Gamma ignored his comment and ran his eyes over Meteor.

Meteor tensed up at the lustful gaze Gamma cast her. "Nice Callisto, I always wanted to fuck a Sailor Scout. Let me get back to you on that," he snarled and licked his lips.

"Over my dead body," she snarled back. Riden inched slightly closer to her.

"We will see," he said. "For now I assume you want to free your friends?"

"Where is the caster Gamma?" Jupiter yelled.

"Right before you," he said.

"Impossible," Riden said. "You can't be a caster. That takes hundreds of years to master."

Gamma took a small orb out of his coat jacket causing Meteor and Riden to gasp.

"What is that?" Venus asked.

"That is what is keeping Sailor Moon and the others in their world. He really is a Caterlizysm caster."

"One of the gifts bestowed upon me by the Elderans. Here, catch," He said throwing it extremely high into the air and in their direction.

"Catch that, if it breaks under his will then they are trapped for good!" Riden yelled. Venus jumped to catch it and Gamma shot a beam at it.

"METEOR SHOWER RAIN!" Meteor yelled and shot her attack at the beam. Venus managed to catch it.

"YOU BITCH!" Gamma yelled and attacked her. She dodged each of his beams. He drew a dagger from his side and went to stab her but was stopped by Riden and his sword. He pushed Gamma back.

"You are challenging me? That is a laugh. Fine," he said and drew his sword. "No magic, just our swords talking. You always thought you were better than me. After I kill you I will kill the other scouts and fuck Callisto so much she'll break apar… " a fist connected to his jaw before he could finish.

The two men began fighting around the hall way. Meteor turned around to Venus.

"Break it Venus!" she yelled.

"What? But?"

"Think of the others and break it," Meteor yelled. "Hurry"

Venus thought of everyone in the world and broke the Orb. Just as Meteor turned around she saw Riden get kicked into the wall then dodge a blade. The group of scouts that were under the spell appeared in the hall. Then several voices echoed through the hall as well.

"Come back Gamma! NOW!"

Gamma flew up into the air just as Riden was going to strike.

"I am afraid we will have to settle this later Riden," he said and disappeared.

Meteor ran over to Riden. "You al…"  
"I am fine!" he snapped at her causing her to step back. He realized what he did. "I am sorry," he said.

"It's fine. I understand," she said moving his hair away from his face.

"What now?" Jasmine asked.

"First we need to transform," Serena says.

They all transform back into their uniforms.

"Well, they know we are here. I guess we need to look for the Elderans," Moon said.

"Shall we go then?" Sapphire asked and Moon nodded. Star, Rolan, Meteor, Riden, Aero, Sun, Comet, Pluto and Eon start to follow Serena and Sapphire. Serena noticed that the others weren't following her. She turned around and looked at them confused.

"You all coming?" she asked.

"Why should we?" Mars asked. "We are the reason you are in this mess. If we'd only listened you wouldn't have to…"  
"As your queen I order you to get your ass in gear and follow me!" she snapped in frustration.

The four inners and Tuxedo mask were surprised at her attitude. They looked at her in shock and then smiled at one another.

"Yes, your majesty," they all say and follow her and the others down the long hallway.

* * *

_AN: Wow! Long chapter there. I just couldn't stop with it. LOL Don't you think this chapter deserves more than 3 reviews. I have 35 alerts for this story and 25 faves so please review. _


	29. Final Fight

_**Footprints In The Snow**_

**Author: MoonStarDutchess**

**Chapter 29: Final Fight**

**Rating: T**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. **

**AN: Hope you enjoy this. Please review. Note: I corrected all the previous chapters and added things. I hope that if you have the time you will go read the better chapters. Thanks..**

**Final Fight**

The group of scouts walked down the long hallway, a cool wind hitting them ever so often.

"And you all lived here?" Star said, looking at Rolan.

"Yea, this isn't the living quarters though. This is the bottom hall," Rolan replied.

"What's at the end of the hall?" Moon asked.

"A main area with doors branching off. One of the doors lead to the Elderan hall where they reside," Meteor said.

They arrived in the main area. It was lighted slightly with blue tinged lights. The floor had a black sunburst type design on it. There was a tall black crystal beside each edge of each door.

Suddenly, all of the doors slammed shut and a wind picked everyone up and threw them against the walls. The scouts recovered and looked up to see Gamma floating in the air. He laughed and it echoed throughout the room.

"You all are pathetic," he said. "To think that you could..." he looked toward the inner scouts and Darien. "What are you doing alive?" he yelled in shock. Sailor Moon stood up and the others soon followed. He turned to her, "This is your doing isn't it! You and your little boy toy there gave up some of your life for theirs didn't you! Well it will do no good! You all will die by the Elderans's hands. "  
"Some of..." Mars started.

"Their life?" Venus finished. They looked over at Moon and Sapphire who was standing beside her.

"Gamma! Why are you doing this?" Aero yelled.

"Why? Why? At first it was for Callisto! Then she betrayed me. Which reminds me, he clinched his fist and a shred of crystal tore through Riden's shoulder. He let out a scream of pain and Meteor turned around in horror as the crystal protruded out of his shoulder. "Riden!" she screamed and rushed over to him. Sailor Moon and the others looked back in shock.

Anger rushed through Meteor's body. Moon sensed it from her friend. Riden went to his brother as Callisto stood.

"How dare you. . ." she growled. Her eyes grew dark as she turned to face him. She lifted her hand in front of her, palm down.

"Meteor!" Sun protested.

"Leave her alone, she needs to do this," Moon said. The other scouts stay quite. Meteor stepped past Moon and looked at her.

"Thank you," she said simply and walked closer to Gamma. She gripped the power in her hand and then spun around. "METEORITE! BLAST!" she threw it at Gamma who laughed at the seemingly puny attack and dodged it.

"You can do better than that Callisto," he mocked.

"Yes, I can," she pulled her hand down roughly and the attack she threw hit Gamma into a wall. He managed to right himself and turned to look at her.

"I applaud you on that one Callisto, try this!" he threw the same attack at her and she dodged it and dodged it as it came back at her. She found herself dodging attacks all over the room.

Gamma didn't know what was going on. He was feeling weaker than usual, that attack was not only suppose to be stronger but it was suppose to be two orbs of energy.

"We have to help her," Mars said stepping up. Serena raised her hand to stop Rei. She didn't take her eyes off of Meteor and Gamma.

"Do you want Gamma to learn your attacks as well?" Sapphire spoke to Rei.

"He's right," Aero said. Rei turned to him. "Gamma copies attacks. He sees it once and he has it memorized. Meteor knows what she is doing," he said.

Meteor attacked the copy of her attack with the same one causing the two to collide and explode in shrapnel. She moved out of the way and then yelled "Meteor ice wave!" she blew the chunks of rock toward Gamma, he tried to dodge them but could not escape it all. One went into his shoulder and one went into his leg. He fell to the ground in pain.

She started to walk toward him when he yelled at her.

"You keep away you bitch or I will kill you!"

"No you won't Gamma. You couldn't kill me if I stood right in front of you. You couldn't kill Riden. You and I both know you excel at crystal fighting. If you wanted to you could have killed Riden and I. Since you didn't, that told me that you didn't want to. You don't want to kill us anymore than we want to kill you."

"I...I...' he started but then voices sounded in the hall.

"You failed even with your new powers Gamma," they said.

"Elderans, I..."

"We figured that you would fail Gamma. That is the reason why we've been taking most of your energy. You have helped awaken us and given us your energy. You have served your purpose well! Now we will let our dark energy consume you.

Gamma let out a shriek as he fell to all fours. A circle of dark energy started to encircle him.

Sailor Moon called up her healing staff. She twirled it above her head then brought it straight in front of her. She twirled it in front of her quickly. "Moon Healing Staff, Refresh!" several beams of light came from the twirling staff and hit Gamma before the dark energy could consume him completely. He stood shakily and Meteor helped him over to Riden. The Crystal from Riden's shoulder was gone but he was still in pain. Roland had bandaged it up the best he could with his limited resources.

"I...I ...am sorry..." Gamma managed out.

Riden nodded and said, "Glad to have you back with us." Gamma looked shocked at first but then nodded back.

"Very nice Sailor Moon. Or should I be calling you Queen Serenity?" A male voice sounded. They all turned to the door where the voice was coming from. They heard footsteps and soon a figure came into the slight lights of the room.

He was wearing a long red robe type garment with black trimming. Around the bottom were black sunbursts. His hair was long and black, strands of it framed his face. He had red eyes and under those eyes were strips of red.

"It's one of the Elderans, " Aero said.

"Narave," Gamma supplied.

"One of, where are the others?"

"They couldn't make it to the little party," he said vindictively. "I had to have their energy."  
"You monster! You killed your own allies!" Jupiter yelled.

"Yes," he said as if it didn't mean anything to him. "They were weak so I saved them the misery of living and destroyed them. Just like I am going to take your energies, then the energies of everyone in this world and then conquer all the other worlds in the universe."

"You had this planned all along didn't you. You weren't going to give any of us immortality and a place in your kingdom. You were going to take our energies after we did your bidding," Riden snapped.

"Ah, Riden . . .you were always the smartest one," Narave replied.

"We won't let you take anything!" Sailor Moon said. The male looked her up and down.

"Maybe if you are still standing I'll consider giving you dark energy and taking you as my queen."  
Sapphire growled slightly at the man and stepped closer to her.

"Over my dead body," she snarled.

"Too bad...but that option can be arranged," he lifted his hand and they flew up and went through stained glass dome section of the roof. The glass cut into them but by some miracle no one was seriously injured. They hit the top of the roof with a thud. They stood and Sailor Moon was the first to notice the surroundings. She looked out further.

Then entire city was black, the sky was a dark red, and people were lying in the streets. The air was acrid and she looked over the edge at the tower they were on and saw that the lake they were sitting on was boiling wildly.

The tower started to shake so roughly that they could barely keep their balance.

Narave shot through the rest of the glass and up into the air. "Isn't my world brilliant? Before I destroy all of you, you will watch your precious Earth be destroyed!" the tower shook more and then they felt it move up. Ami looked over the edge. "The tower is floating!"

It started to move higher and higher. And Narave was surrounded by dark energy as he concentrated.

"Sapphire," Moon said. He turned to her. "I have to fight him in space, away from earth. You need to take the others and make sure that planet power protects the Earth from the backlash of our fight."

"That's not an option," he said. She looked at him in shock. "I am going to help you fight this. Tuxedo Mask is the King of Earth, not me. He needs to do that."

"Sapphire!" she yelled in anger. The others looked at her in shock.

"No, our lives are connected and I refuse to leave you alone."

"Alone?! What in the hell are you talking about?" Sun yelled.

Moon kissed his lips softly and cupped his cheek. She nodded to confirm that she understood and accepted his answer. She then turned to Tuxedo Mask.

" We have to fight him in space, away from earth. You should take the others and make sure the earth is protected from our fight."

"Are you fucking nuts!" Sun exclaimed.

"You two can't do that!" Star protested.

"You will die! There's no way!" Meteor yelled in shock.

They looked at each other. "We know that but Earth has to be protected. There's no other option."  
"Then I am coming with you!" Meteor said.

"So am I!" Star replied. The other scouts chimed the same thing. Sailor Moon started to get angry. Sapphire sensed this and decided to be the "bad guy" for once.

"That's enough all of you!" he snapped. Moon looked surprised at him but didn't say anything. She smirked inwardly at that regal attitude showing through.

The scouts got quite.

"Do you care so little about the people of earth?" he questioned. They all looked surprised at his question. "This is our best option. Hell, it's our only option. You need to protect the people that once resided on the moon kingdom and that have always resided on earth/ That is your job now, so do it!"

They all stay quite as the debris swirled around the ship. They all stood and nodded.

"Thank you," Sailor Moon said. "Use planet power to protect the Earth." The ship shook again and Narave laughed. Everyone except Moon and Sapphire joined hands. They all looked at the two as they closed their eyes. Moon's scout uniform was soon replaced by a shiny light blue dress and Sapphire's clothing was replaced by the armor worn on the moon. They turned to the scouts and nodded. The scouts teleported off the ship.

Serena and Sapphire turned to Narave who is now laughing wildly. "So they left you here? Some friends, no matter, they will die soon anyway." The ship gained wild speed as it speed up into the air. Serena and Sapphire got as low as they could to escape the air pressure. They held hands and concentrated on putting a shield around them to protect them from both the air pressure and the atmospheric heat they were sure to hit. They groaned as it got harder and harder to breath and it got hotter the further up they went.

The others appeared on the ground and watched as the ship gained altitude and soon disappeared. They looked at each other. There was no time for tears. They had to protect their planet. They all joined hands and concentrated a beam of light came from each one of them.

The ship shattered into two pieces as it entered orbit around Earth. "You fools, you will die up here!" Narave yelled. As he powered dark energy in his hands. Serena and Sapphire stood and looked out at the earth which was now surrounded by a beautiful light. Narave screamed as he launched the attack only to have it reflected off, but only barely. Serena and Sapphire knew that they would have to destroy Narave by using all of the energy they had. Serena's crystal floated in front of them. It encircled them changing their outfits to pure white. Serena held out her hands in front of her and an white orb appeared. Sapphire put his hands even with hers adding to the power as well. She moved back against him.

"NO! Why wasn't it destroyed!" he looked menacingly at them. "YOU WILL PAY!" he yelled and his eyes grew red. He powered his body up as far as it would go and launched a dark beam at the two. They launched the white one back. debris from the ship they were standing on blew around them at the pressure the blasts were causing. Serena and Sapphire could feel their energies drifting away as they pushed the power toward Narave. He was trying his damnest to kill them and knew he was failing. With one final burst the energy came so close to Serena and Sapphire that they could feel it.

They gathered their life force energy and put it into their beam. Sapphire whispered I love you into Serena's ear and she said the same. They finally let the beam go and the weakened Narave exploded into crystals. Serena and Sapphire fell to the ground. They used the slight remaining energy to intertwine their fingers before dying there. Their bodies were engulfed by a beautiful gold lighter before the energy from the explosion did it.

----------------

The scouts felt the force from the explosion and struggled to hold the barrier up. When the force finally calmed they let the barrier go. They all knew, by faith alone, that Serena and Sapphire had destroyed the enemy.

They all fell to the ground in exhaustion. They looked up as a shiny rain like essence fell from the sky. The earth turned back to normal and the people formerly laid out on the ground were stirring.

"Everything is turning back to normal," Ami said.

"What about Serena and Sapphire?" Star said with tears streaming down her cheeks.

"They can't be really gone can they?" Sun said with tears starting to form.

"I don't sense any life energy from either," Mars replied and began crying too. Everyone in the group started to cry.

"No," Star whimpered. Roland took her in his arms.

Pluto was gripping her staff for all it was worth. She felt like she had failed the future somehow but allowing this to happen yet she knew she couldn't interfere. Gamma looked over at her and some strange feeling washed over him. It was like he was suppose to comfort the beautiful sailor scout. He laid a hand on her shoulder and she turned to look at him. Meteor and Riden smiled when Pluto hugged him and cried onto his chest.

Darien was the worst for wear but he had no tears in him. Serena died free and with someone she loved. He knew that wherever she was she had no regrets.

-------------------

Serena stirred when she felt a cool air against her face. She sat up quickly prepared for a fight when she saw that she was in a beautiful white fluffy dress. She wouldn't fight in something like that. She looked around and it appeared she was in a courtyard. It was snowing yet it wasn't that cold. It was lightly coating the ground. She looked across the yard and saw a familiar man, also dressed in white leaning against a railing. She stood and smiled.

"Sapphire!" she yelled. He turned and smiled back. He started walking over to her but Serena thought he was much too slow and ran to him. She threw her arms around his neck and he wrapped his arms around her waist. He bent to kiss her. When they pulled away she asked, "Are we dead?"

"Not sure," he asked then brought his lips back to hers. A uncomfortable cough caused them to pull away. It was Cecilia. She was standing there with a blush on her face.

"Um… the king and queen would like to speak with you."

"Oh," Serena said then looked at Sapphire who just nodded. They pulled apart and held hands. The three of them walked down the hall and came to the same room that they'd been to before the battle. The king and queen entered and smiled at them.

"You saved the earth, everything is back to normal," the king said. This thrilled Serena and Sapphire. Serenity took a step.

"You still have a bit of life-force left we can send you back to live normal lives or you can stay here and take our place guiding the scouts and their new leader whoever you may choose."

"Would we still be our same ages, would we know each other?" Serena asked.

"Yes, you will be together. You both will be able to make the choices you were making before. However, you two won't have any powers but will remember everything that has happened. You both will be normal human beings. You have to get the crystal to the new leader after two years when you decide who that is. That will be your final decision as royalty of the moon kingdom. You will also have to age a few years. Your skills will be set as if you went to college for those years.

"What if we choose to take your place?"

"You will live here and guide the sailors as we did you," Serenity said.

"I don't think we could do as good of a job as you do." Serena said and looked at Sapphire. He nodded, already knowing what she wanted and agreeing whole heartedly.

* * *

_AN: It's not over. Still have a epilogue to go. Please go and drop a review._


	30. Epilogue

**Footprints In The Snow**

**Author: MoonStarDutchess**

**Chapter Epilogue: Normalcy**

**Rating: T**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. **

**AN: Hope you enjoy this. Please review. Note: I corrected all the previous chapters and added things. I hope that if you have the time you will go read the better chapters. Thanks..**

**AAN: This is the last chapter of this tale. Thank you to everyone who reviewed. I hope that you all enjoyed the story and will check out the other Sailor Moon stories I write when they are posted. Thanks.**

* * *

**Epilogue: Normalcy**

"Hey! Over here!" Rei yelled. She was sitting with Darien, Ami, Mina, and Lita when she spotted their favorite Kyoto scouts. Well, the only Kyoto scouts.

"Hey!" Jasmine yelled back. She grabbed Rolan's hand and rushed over to them.

They were having their bi-yearly reunion, this time it was a picnic at the park. They all settled down on the blankets laid out on the floor. Their lives now were fairly normal, no big battles since the one with the Elderans'.

Miko looked around, "This place has changed, especially the archway into the park."

"It's all being redone. They brought in a popular architect from America to redo it. Now he's redoing the center over there," Darien said nodding to the center where they keep the indoor plants.

"Wow," he must be awfully popular to be noticed all the way in Japan," Lia said.

Callisto looked around the area as well. "Did he do the landscaping as well, it's beautiful," she asked.

"Yes, his company did it," Darien replied. Callisto nodded and looked out at the archway. She smiled when she saw Trista and Gamma walking toward them. They soon arrived at the group and sat down greeting them.

"So when is the big day?" Callisto said motioning to Trista's engagement ring.

"We haven't set one yet. When we do you know you all will be the first to know," Trista said.

"I think it's great," Riden said.

Everyone congratulated the happy couple. They all sat in silence for a while.

"Every time we get together there's always something missing," Lita said.

"You mean some people missing," Rei said. They all looked down sadly.

"I am tired of not talking about them. It's been five years. Is this any way to honor their memory?" Trista asked.

"You are right, I know there out there somewhere watching us," Darien said.

"Yea," Jasmine said with a smile. They all began talking about their two dearly departed friends. They were interrupted by two people two people's voices talking. They are looking at the center. One is in a gardening ensemble the other in dress pants and a dress shirt. His jacket long discarded.

The man in the garden outfit spotted Darien and motioned for him and the others to walk over. They get up and walk over to them. The man in the dress clothes didn't turn around, he was studying the building before him.

"Darien, everyone, I would like you to meet the architect for the center and the owner of the landscaping company that redid the park. This is Sean Jewel." The man turned around and nodded. He extended his hand toward Darien.

"Pleasure to meet you," he said.

Everyone was shocked at seeing the familiar face. The oddest thing was he looked to be much older than the Sapphire they knew. He looked to be in his mid thirties not the age they knew he should be. Darien steeled his shock and shook his hand. The gardener smiled and then heard someone yell his name. He turned to see all of his children yelling for him.

"Excuse me Mr. Jewel," he said.

"Of course," he replied. The gardener walked away.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Sean said to them.

"You as well," Darien said to the older man. He had to admit, he was a bit intimidated at the older man that shouldn't have been older.

"You did a wonderful job with the park," Trista said. She was the first of the scouts who spoke to him.

"Thank you, I am happy to hear that," he replied. Then a small and very cute voice shouted. He turned and everyone saw a small little girl around four years old, running toward him. She had black hair and blue eyes. It was curly and done up in pigtails. When she arrived at him he bent and scooped her up.

"This is my daughter Lily," he introduced her. The others couldn't help but smile at the cute little girl. He looked at the little girl and said, "Where is your mother? You know you shouldn't run away from her."

"She was right behind me!" the little girl protested.

"Here I am," a feminine voice said. They all looked up in shock as a woman in her mid thirties as well approached them. She had long, beautiful silver hair in meatball pig tails. She was wearing a sundress and carrying her sunhat. She stood beside Sean and patted the little girl on the head. "This little squirt here is quick." The little girl giggled. Sean turned to the group.

"This is my wife Serenity Jewel."

"Pleasure," she said.

The group was in even more shock over who they were seeing, but then happily greeted her. It was then that Ami ran to grab her bag and retrieved a book from it. She walked over to Serenity.

"You are THE Serenity Jewel? The author of Starlight Sonata?"

"Yes I am," she replied. This shocked the group even more. She wrote one of the best selling books ever!

Ami felt rather silly but just couldn't resist. She asked for her autograph which Serenity gladly sighed. She then closed the book and handed it back to Ami.

"We should get going, we have a plane to England to catch," Sean said.

"Yes," she agreed. She then said to the others, "It was very nice meeting you," she said. She extended her hand to Darien who shock it.

"Yes you too," Darien said. The other reiterated his sentiments.

Sean and Serenity walked away from the group. Everyone then went back to their blankets and sat down.

"They are alive," Jasmine said.

"Yes, but they didn't remember us," Lita stated sadly.

Ami had opened her book and everyone turned to her as she gasped and tears ran down her cheeks. "I wouldn't be so sure," she said.

"Why do you say that Ami?" Rei asked. Ami handed her the book. Rei then had tears in her eyes. She read what Serenity had written.

* * *

**To Ami,**

**Make sure everyone takes care of themselves and helps Jasmine as she will need it. Help her the way you did me. You will know what I mean in a few weeks.**

**Love you all,**

**Serenity Jewel**

**"Serena"**

* * *

Everyone was silent for a moment before Mina said happily, 

"She remembers us! I bet Sapphire does too!"

"What did she mean by help me though?" Jasmine said. Everyone went into thought at what they could have meant.

"We should go after them!" Rei exclaimed.

"No," Darien said. Everyone looked at him.

"Think about it," he began, " All the time she was a scout she only wanted a normal life. Now she has it and is happy. She deserves that," he said.

They all look the great distance across the park to see the family get into a limo and leave.

* * *

A few weeks later. . . 

Jasmine goes to her mailbox and found that she had received a small package. She took it inside and opened it to find the silver crystal. In shock she picked up the letter contained with it.

**Jasmine,**

**Sapphire and I thought over who would be the best leader for the Sailor Scouts and decided that this crystal and the leadership should go to you. You have the spirit to be a better leader than I ever was or could be.**

**We can no longer use our power the way we used to, hence we are now living normal lives here in the US.**

**We both know you will take good care of it. Tell everyone hello for us.**

**Sincerely and warm regards,**

**Sapphire and Serena**

* * *

**_AN: Wow, I can't believe it's over. It's like I had a child and it grew up and left. Anyway, thank you so much for all support. I would love to hear from someone that hasn't reviewed before or hasn't reviewed in a long time. So please review since this is the ending. _**

**_I have more Serena/Sapphire stories coming soon as well as a Serena/Rubeus fic in the works. Hope you all will check them out when they are put up. Thank you all for the support.  
_**

**_Special thanks to Sparkling Moon Phoenix for her encouragement through everything:)  
_**


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